Mets v. Phillies

WE'VE MOVED!

2010-02-15T19:53:00.001-05:00

We have moved to www.baseballrevival.blogspot.com. Please follow and join our new blog. It is bigger and better than ever. We have hired new writers that will not only cover the Mets and Phillies, but the rest of the MLB! We are very excited to start the new year with each other and we hope you follow along. Articles will be posted on a daily basis once the season rolls around. Enjoy!

Phillies Keys to Offseason Success

2009-11-18T21:11:00.004-05:00

As the 2009 national league champions Philadelphia Phillies turn the page to 2010, many questions remain up in the air. Though the Phillies made it back to the World Series in ’09, (the first time a national league team has accomplished that since the ’95-’96 Atlanta Braves) it all went to waste losing to the New York Yankees in six games. As Ruben Amaro Jr. enters his sophomore year as the Phillies general manager, he has many questions to answer and options to explore. The pressure is on, and Philadelphia is once again hungry for another championship.

Brad Lidge had the perfect season in 2008, going 41 for 41 in save opportunities during the regular season. Unfortunately, 2009 was a completely different story. Brad Lidge had 11 blown saves, as well as a 0-8 record with an ERA above 7. Going into the ’09 postseason, Lidge seemed almost back to his form when he began the playoffs 3 for 3 in save opportunities, but a crucial lost to the Yankees in game three of the world series proved that Lidge wasn’t himself. Going into the offseason, fans are worried what Lidge we will see in 2010. Also, how will the Phillies coaching staff deal with him if he doesn’t start off on the right foot? The option of acquiring a new closer is out of the question since there are multiple pitchers already on the team roster who are eligible to close, but it may take a while before the role is set in stone. Aside from the closing role, the Phillies also look forward to strengthening their bullpen. If lefty reliever Scott Eyre decides to retire (which he said is a possibility before the start of 2009 season), then a bullpen specialist will be needed. Reliever Chan Ho Park is also a free agent.

Pedro Feliz may not be the most clutch performer on the Phillies, (.254 career batting average) but he is one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Feliz’s contract with the Phillies expired after the end of the 2009 season, so he his eligible for free agency. The Phillies will try to upgrade their bat at third base, even if they have to sacrifice defensively. Some of the 2010 free agent third basemen that the Phillies may be interested in include Mark DeRosa, who attended the University of Pennsylvania, Chone Figgins, the long-time LA Angels third baseman, and Joe Crede, who previously played for the White Sox. DeRosa is the likely fit for Philadelphia, but many fans are intrigued by the speed and consistency of Figgins, who was a productive bat for the Angels in the leadoff spot hitting .298 in 2009.

It seems as though going into every offseason, the Phillies have no idea how their starting pitching rotation is going to shape up, but somehow, they manage to figure it out during the regular season. Probables for the Phillies starting staff include Cole Hamels, Cliff new (the Phils new ace), and Joe Blanton. Other options include J.A. Happ, who had a superb rookie season, three-time Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez, or any of the dozens of free-agent pitchers. The Phillies might want to look into acquiring another ace-type pitcher since that’s what the Yankees did last offseason, and coincidentally, they won the World Series. Some free agent options include Angels’ ace John Lackey, Jarrod Washburn, Ben Sheets, and Erik Bedard. If the Phillies decided to resign Martinez, which most likely will happen for a one-year deal, the Phillies would only have one spot left. They could either pick up a free agent, or place Happ in the rotation, rather than the bullpen.

No matter what the Phillies decide, they are going to have to make some tough decisions. If the Phillies want to make it back to the World Series for the third straight year, they are going to have to plan some holiday shopping and explore what’s out there on the market. Hopefully it will be an eventful winter season, but it’s going to take some hard work and time, so it definitely will not be easy.

Here's Hoping Omar Has Deep Pockets This Offseason

2009-11-10T11:18:00.007-05:00

Now that the 2009 baseball season is officially over, Mets fans everywhere have their fingers crossed that Omar Minaya is able to fill the many holes present on the team's roster. So with the GM meetings now underway in Chicago, I leave you with the official list of free agents available. So unless (or should I say, until?) there is some big news for the Mets on the free agent or trade front, I'm signing off for now. Here's to Omar and the Wilpons having deep pockets!

Always Next Year

2009-11-07T18:06:00.003-05:00

It all happened right before our eyes, and we couldn’t do a thing about it. It only took one at-bat. It only took one at-bat for the Yankees to change Philadelphia’s mindset that they would never lose again. With two outs and no one on base for the Yankees in the top of the ninth inning at Citizens Bank Park in Game 4 of the World Series, “closer” Brad Lidge gave up a single to leftfield off the bat of Johnny Damon. With power hitting switch-hitter Mark Teixeira up at the plate against Lidge, Damon stole second, and then proceeded to steal third in the same play when he realized that no one was covering third base because of the shift the infield was playing for Teixeira. After Teixeria was hit, the Yankees followed up with a total of three runs in the inning to put them ahead 7-4.

How quickly moods can change. One second the Phillies felt like they were at the top of the world, and the next they felt like they were at the bottom of a hole, trying to dig themselves out before time ran out. Just the half inning before in the bottom of the eighth, Pedro Feliz surprisingly smashed a fastball right down the middle off reliever Joba Chamberlain for a home run to tie the game at 4. Lidge needed just one more out to put the game in the Phillies bats, but everyone knew it wasn’t going to be easy, especially since Lidge’s track record hadn’t been the greatest during the regular season. From that point on, everyone knew that it was over. Even though there was plenty of baseball to be played, everyone realized that it just wasn’t meant to be.

Two games later, the Yankees easily defeated the Phillies 7-3, clinching their sports record 27th championship title. The lack of offense and clutch pitching for the Phillies cost them their second championship in as many years, and made Phillies fans revisit their pre-2008 motto, “there’s always next year”. Maybe the Yankees were a better team, but I am sure that Philadelphia expected much more out of their ballclub. Every game, no matter what the Phillies were able to put onto the scoreboard, it seemed as if the Yankees had the momentum, and wouldn’t lose it.

Through all of the World Series struggles for the Phillies, Philadelphia must tip their caps to the champs. The Yankees deserved the title. With over 100 wins during the regular season, and skyrocketing their way through the playoffs, the Yankees were probably the best team in baseball. Oh, and did I mention they had four or five possible hall of famers? With one of the most professional players in the game Derek Jeter, the all-time post season wins leader Andy Pettite, and the all-time post-season saves leader Marino Rivera, the Yankees were destined to win before the series even started. With those types of caliber players on their roster, and the addition of players such as Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, and Jorge Posada, it was obvious that the Phillies were just overmatched.

It will take a few weeks to overcome the disappointment and disgust Phillies fans are feeling right now. Losing is something that seems foreign to Philadelphia since it hasn’t happened since 2007. With some work over the offseason, and hopefully some free agent signees and the addition of a few new players, the Phillies will enter the 2010 season even stronger.

Yes, the season is over, and I must admit that it hasn’t even hit me yet, but one phrase will keep me going strong through the offseason; “there’s always next year”.

- Brennan Weiss (Look for a Phillies Offseason Keys to Success article coming out soon!)

Words to die by

2009-11-04T16:22:00.003-05:00

Words often come back to haunt you, just like this series will come back to haunt the Phillies.The Phillies have now justified every Yankee fan that felt last year was a fluke, and that they are the rightful holders of the decade's throne.

From a Mets fan's perspective, as hard as it is to see cross-town rivals win, it doesn't hurt to see division rivals lose. Up in the Phillies Executive Suites, someone right now should be writing the rule: "If you ever utter the words "team to beat" or "choke artists," your waived."

How many days till pitchers and catchers report?

Hoping for a Game 7

2009-11-03T11:44:00.004-05:00

For the first time since 2004 I can honestly say that is has been a very entertaining World Series thus far. With the exception of the Phillies’ game 1 win, every game has been close and it is pretty clear that the two best teams from both leagues are rightfully facing off.

As a Mets fan, I can’t really be thrilled with the prospect of either team being crowned champion. However, I am hoping the Phils can pull out a miracle in the Bronx so that I don’t have to deal with the media hoopla of a 27th Yankees championship. It would also put a wry smile on my face to listen to frustrated Yankee fans calling in to sports radio crying about the loss.

In reality, though, odds are that the Yankees will manage to win one more game as the series returns to their home field. This Yankee team has that special something that champions are made of. Sure, they have the highest payroll in baseball, but they also play good fundamental baseball. They get clutch hits and key outs. They play solid defense and pay attention to the game so that when opponents make mistakes, they take advantage of them. Even down by a few runs, you always get the feeling that this team can come back to win it and they have proven that they can.

In short, as much as it pains me to admit it, these Yankees have that intangible quality that winners are made of. This is the quality that psyches their opponents out to the point where they almost forget how to play the game. We’ve seen this throughout the playoffs with the various mental mistakes made by the Twins and Angels. Now, the Phils have made a few as well; most notably in allowing Johnny Damon’s double steal in the 9th inning of Game 4. Credit goes to Damon and the Yankees for seeing an open window of opportunity, but the onus is on the Phils for letting something like this happen in the first place.

If the Phils hope to make it to a seventh game in the Bronx Zoo they are going to have to play as solid a fundamental game as they have ever played in their lives. This means a solid start from Pedro, good defense and no mental mistakes on the field. Andy Pettitte is hittable, but if the Phils get him on the ropes like they had him in Game 3, they need to knock him out before he gets up and figures out what he’s been doing wrong. And most importantly, if the Phils have a lead, they need to protect it. They cannot leave the door open even a crack for these Yanks because as they have proven repeatedly, they can and will rally for a come back. So on that note, good luck Phillies. You have your work cut out for you, but as every Mets fan knows, collapses are possible. Now get out there and get me to a Game 7!!

Big Ifs and Whiffs

2009-11-02T11:37:00.005-05:00

By Chris Pollay

Well, a lot can change in a week.

Last Monday I was charged with optimism, expecting a seven-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. Now, I'm just hoping to see a Game Six. The good news is that the Phillies have the right man on the mound tonight. Cliff Lee is the best pitcher in the 2009 postseason and IF the Yankees can find a way to beat him tonight, then all you can do is tip your hat to them. They will certainly earn their rings.

But, I have a feeling they won't do it tonight. Lee has been so dominant that he should stop the bleeding tonight. Even IF he does, however, then the Phillies have to win Game Six in the Bronx. Then, IF Pedro can defy his age once again and get the better of Andy Pettitte, there could be a classic Game Seven.

That's a lot of big IFs, and the prospect remains more daunting if you consider Game Seven would likely feature C.C. Sabathia, the Yankees' best pitcher, against Cole Hamels, the Phillies' struggling southpaw who has not looked good at all for most of the 2009 postseason.

Honestly, I can't envision all of that happening right now, but I also have seen enough sports to know that one game can turn things around. Today is that time for the Phillies.

Now, IF they can just make contact with the ball, or at least, show a little more plate patience. In the 2009 World Series, Philadelphia has whiffed 36 times in four games (compared to only 29 hits and 15 base on balls). In particular, Ryan Howard has 10 whiffs and Raul Ibañez has nine. If that doesn't change, then the offseason will start tomorrow for the defending champs.

A lot of those whiffs have come at painful times, too.

It seemed like all season the Phillies relied heavily on a "three-run homer" offense but in this series, it's been another story entirely. How many times have they had runners on first and second with no outs, then proceeded to follow with a "fly out, strikeout, groundout" offense that is much less effective?

Despite it all, I still want to believe the Phillies can do it. Admittedly, I wasn't too surprised when Brad Lidge struggled and imploded last night. I wasn't shocked to see A-Rod come through in the clutch with a key ninth inning hit last night. What baffles me, however, is that the Phillies haven't found a way to win after Game One. This team is a resilient bunch that always seems to find a way to come back when they absolutely need to.

Unfortunately, this time the hole they have to dig themselves out of may be just a little too deep. They have to win three straight against the Yankees including two in the Bronx. With A.J., C.C. and Mo on the mound, that is a tall order indeed.

I'm a Phillies fan, so I will foster a lot of doubts that this can actually happen, but I also know that IF by some miracle it does, it would be something quite special indeed.

At least for tonight...

2009-10-28T23:11:00.002-04:00

...I'm rooting for the Phillies.Or is it that I'm rooting against the Yankees?This might be a sign of the Apocalypse. Or merely the disdain of an envious Mets fan. Let's go with the former. Although a good Apocalypse right now would mean no one wins.

I have no more words. Well, at least not until next time.

The Lesser of Two Evils Pt. 2

2009-10-27T16:48:00.000-04:00

Last week before the Yanks and Phils locked up their respective World Series appearances I was convinced that if this ultimate Mets nightmare matchup occurred, I would be rooting for the Yankees. Now, after a week of non-stop Yankee media glorification, I may be ready to jump this ship before it even leaves the dock.

As explained last week, my reasoning behind pulling for the Yankees was three-fold. 1) Being cross-town rivals with Mets really has no impact on my team’s standings unless it is in interleague play. 2) The Yankees operate with class. They do not partake in the same Mets trash-talking and dirty play as the Phillies have over the past few years. 3) Despite the bone-headed nature of Yankee fans, this Yankee team is a fun group to watch. I like that they look like they are having fun. They have a good chemistry that I wish could somehow rub off on the Mets. You would think two teams with similarly bloated payrolls would have similar chemistry, but no such luck.

But despite this reasoning, the fact remains that rooting for the Yankees is a tough proposition because if they do win, I will have to deal with all of the hoopla right in my backyard. This includes relentless media coverage, a ticker tape parade and an onslaught of obnoxious Yankee fans everywhere I go. The past eight years without Yankee post-season glory have been the sole bright notes in an otherwise mediocre decade of Mets Octobers. A 2009 Yankees World Championship will only serve to remind me that the last time our cross-town rivals won it was at our expense.

At least if the Phillies repeat, their success won’t be right under my nose. Sure, there will probably be some anti-Mets player or media comments made, but I know I’ll be able to watch television, listen to sports radio and read the newspapers more than I would be able to if the Yankees take the crown. Plus, the bonus is that the majority of New York media coverage of a Phillies victory would be about the Yankees choking. That is kind of appealing now that I think about it!

So what is a die-hard Mets fan to do in a situation like this? Well, I could just start a media blackout immediately, pop in some 1986 Mets highlights and pretend the apocalypse is not upon us. But instead, I think I’ll adopt a policy of neutrality and watch without any vested interest in who takes the crown. As a Mets fan, this is an unwinnable situation in every respect so I might as well just sit back and watch. All I can really hope for is that it is an entertaining series and that it goes a full seven games before winter baseball withdrawal kicks in. May the best team win.

Hopefully, A World Series for the Ages...

2009-10-26T13:42:00.008-04:00

By Chris Pollay

The Philadelphia Phillies may be the defending world champions, but they still feel like the underdog to me. Let's face it, the New York Yankees are the most impressive franchise in all of sports. They are the measuring stick that all other dynasties and champions compare themselves against, and they are the perfect opponent for a team that wants to cement its place in history as one of the all-time greats.

Though the Phillies were established 18 years before the Yankees, they have won 24 fewer World Series titles. The Yankees have won 26 World Series while the Phillies have won only two, including last season's victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

Philadelphia is extremely proud of all seven of its National League Pennants during its over 125-year history. Meanwhile, New York has notched 40 American League Pennants in only 108 years (and, incidentally, have reached the playoffs 14 of the last 15 years). Philadelphia is a very good team, but the Yankees are the team to beat, always. As a Philadelphia fan, this is the World Series I wanted. You want to beat the best in order to be unquestionably the best. You want to go for the guys with the biggest payroll and the most expensive ballpark.

Of course, I probably should be careful what I wish for.

When I look at the Philadelphia roster, I am impressed on every level. They have the ultimate slugger (Ryan Howard), the all-star veteran that sparks the team (Jimmy Rollins), the intimidating pitching ace (Cliff Lee), the (recently) devastating closer (Brad Lidge), and a packed roster that is truly stacked at every position. How can these guys NOT be favored?

Then, I look at the Yankees and see more of the same: Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, C.C. Sabathia, Mariano Rivera, etc. Some of these guys will go down as the best ever to play the game. How can these guys NOT be favored?

For that matter, how can either of these teams lose?

I wouldn't want to bet against the Phillies because they look like the same poised, confident team that came together at the right time and stormed through the 2008 playoffs like predestined champions. They have only lost one game in each of their past five playoff series. They simply know how to win it all and they won't be satisfied until they do so again.

Then again, the Yankees are no different. Many of these guys have already won it all, several times over, and the rest are hungry to experience a championship for themselves. I definitely wouldn't want to bet against the Damn Yankees ever.

Do we even need the so-called baseball experts to offer up predictions? What's the point? These teams could play 100 series and both teams would likely win 50.

This one will go the distance. The teams are too evenly matched for it to end any sooner than Game Seven. This should be one of the greatest Fall Classics in MLB's long history.

As a baseball fan, I can't wait.

As a Phillies' fan, I know that I will be ready to bite my nails off and cover my eyes come Wednesday night. I can honestly say, I have no clue what is going to happen. I just know it's going to be amazing and exciting. Play Ball!

It Took A While But We Made It...

2009-10-23T20:22:00.003-04:00

Another year has passed and the Phillies, for the first time in franchise history, find them selves back in the World Series for a second consecutive year. After essentially running away with the division and taking the National League Division Series three games to one over the Rockies, the Phils just about dominated the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that many saw as the powerhouse of the National League, yet Philadelphia made them look average at best. After all of the celebrations of 2008, the tragic death of Harry Kalas and the six-plus months of regular season, here we are. This is what we’ve been waiting for.

It’s not that we’ve just been waiting for this team to get back to the World Series in 2009. It’s not that we were waiting for them to trounce the Dodgers or even to potentially play the New York Yankees in the World Series. It’s that we, as Phillies fans, have been waiting for a period of time when the Phillies could assert themselves as one of the best franchises in the game.

This is not your typical New York Yankees as the face of major league baseball or Boston Red Sox injecting their way into international stardom or even your Los Angeles Dodgers filling their stadium with celebrities. This is the franchise with more losses than any other franchise in the entire world of sports. This is the franchise that could not hold on to their players because they didn’t want to play here. This is the franchise that was almost forgotten about by its own fans not all that long ago. This is the Philadelphia Phillies.

This isn’t just a “flash in the pan” or “lightning in a bottle” team like the 1993 team; this is quite possibly true greatness. Through all the years of dreadful baseball from the mid-1980’s into the early 1990’s and then again from the mid 90’s into the early 2000’s, through all of the Danny Tartabull’s, the JD Drew’s, the Andy Ashby’s, the young and, at the time, somewhat clueless Terry Francona and all of the other names that have passed through the Phillies’ locker room, this is finally it. Not just one chance to celebrate, but many chances to celebrate.

None of this is to say that the Phillies will defeat the Yankees, or Angels, in the World Series in 2009. It is to say, however, that just getting there two years in a row is an incredible feat. It is also to say that the end is far from over. This is a team with a sensational core group of players that has been built for the long haul. This is a group that will, at the very least, be highly competitive for at least another three or four years. This is the team that the late-70’s and early 80’s Phillies tried to achieve but couldn’t quite get over the hump. This is the franchise that all of the others in the league aspire to be and we, the fans who have been there through it all are finally able to say, with absolute and unwavering pride that we are Phillies fans. It won’t last forever, so enjoy it and try to soak up every single piece of it. Go Phils!

Flushing's Schadenfreude

2009-10-21T20:19:00.005-04:00

If you're a Mets fan, right now you're sitting at the edge of the baseball version of the perfect storm. Yankees to the left of you, Phillies to the right, and here you are, stuck in the middle with a plate full of gotchas. Faced with the overbearing conundrum of "if I'm going to watch, what do I wish for?", what's a fan to do? If all goes at it now appears it probably will, Flushing's Faithful are facing a sports apocalypse. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Back the boys from the Bronx because their winning beats down the Mets' division rivals and primary taunters? Back the Phillies in the hope the Mets' cross-town rivals and fan base are denied Big Apple bragging rights? If you're a believer that the season lasts until someone's won 4 in the Grande Finale, choosing to watch "Dancing with the Stars" simply isn't an option - you've gotta make a choice.

I'm proposing one based on geography. For Mets fans within the confines of New York, it seems that the lesser of two evils is to stand behind the Phillies. Why? Beginning next season, will there be any real significant change to the landscape fans realize? Whether a division rival is a single season or double season champ really has no great bearing on how a Mets fan experiences his or her season. But a Mets fan in New York becomes a second citizen when the Yankees win, not just next season, but each and every day between now and then. Whether 2 banners hang in Philly doesn't matter, but 28 hanging in the Bronx will forever be cause for a taunt.

What if you're a Mets fan out of the confines of NYC? Go for it, I say. Scream and holler for the Yankees as much as you want. You don't have to live with the consequences of a Yankee win on a daily basis, and if you're looking to simply support a New York team, so be it.

Come next year, it'll be a whole new ballgame, literally and figuratively. For Mets fans, what matters is whether they can fulfill a promise they've been hanging in front of us for 4 years. If that can't be done, whoever comes home with the ring in the end really doesn't matter.

The Lesser of Two Evils

2009-10-19T15:32:00.006-04:00

While last week’s post-season drama made for exciting baseball for Mets fans, this week’s early league championship action has left much to be desired results-wise. This is not to say the games have been boring because aside from yesterday’s Phillies blowout of the Dodgers, all of the games have been close. They just, for the most part, haven’t had the final outcome most Mets fans would have hoped for.

Let’s face it folks, the two teams right now that Mets fans least want to see advance to the World Series are the Yankees and the Phillies. This puts us in an extraordinary pickle of who to root for. While we can admit both teams are good and well deserving of a potential Fall Classic appearance, seeing one or both make it just turns our stomachs – especially in light of the Mets debacle 2009 season. So if it comes down to these two teams, how will we decide whom to throw our “support” behind?

It’s really not a remotely simple decision…First you have the ever-present jealousy and disdain Mets fans have towards the Yankees. Our cross-town rivals lead a charmed existence. Winning comes easily for them. They have a huge payroll but unlike the Mets, they spend wisely and it shows on the field. Their fans are arrogant and possess a sense of entitlement that drives us completely insane. And the truth is, no matter how good the Mets ever hope to be, they will always be the “other” New York team. Plus, if the Yankees win another World Series, I will have to deal with the ridiculous amount of media coverage and fanfare that will be showered upon them for weeks on end. Thankfully, I no longer work in Manhattan so I won’t have to deal with morons enroute to a ticker tape parade, but avoiding television and print news is a huge inconvenience.

Then you have the Phils…Truthfully, I never had anything against the Phillies until they became competitive over the last 3 years or so. Now, while I can love the scrappy brand of baseball they play, I honestly am annoyed by the fact that over these past three years they have taken every opportunity to slam my Mets in the press. I also don’t care for some of the shady rough plays in the field, such as deliberately trying to hurt Mets players on slides. Add to the fact that the one game I went to at Citi Field when the Phillies were in town was a miserable experience of Mets fans being completely outnumbered. The fact that Phillies fans turned out in droves was not upsetting but the level of belligerence exuded from even before the first pitch was deplorable. It created an atmosphere where if you had taken small children to a game you would want to get them out of the stadium as soon as possible. For now, I will try to believe that what I saw that night was the exception and not the norm.

So with this in mind, if it comes down to a Yankees / Phillies World Series, I’m going to have to root for the Yankees to take it all. I rooted for the Yankees against the Braves in the 90’s so this is a somewhat similar situation of picking the lesser of the two evils. And truth be told, this 2009 Yankees team is definitely a more likeable bunch than those of the “stick-up-their-butts” late 90’s dynasty teams. Call me cheesy, but I kind of like those shaving cream pie in the face antics. Reminds me slightly of the ’86 Mets in a non-inebriated way. Regardless of who I root for, though, a Yanks / Phils World Series could make for a very exciting World Series if both teams play up to their potential. And the best part is, neither team is my team so I’ll be sitting watching from my warm, heated living room rather than having to brave 40 degree stadiums. See, Mets fans? There’s a positive in every situation. Sometimes you just have to look especially hard for it. Now enough with all of this crap…Go Dodgers and Go Angels (wishful thinking).

The Dodger Blue Flu and the Red Hot Phillies

2009-10-19T11:26:00.009-04:00

By Chris Pollay

It’s early Monday morning and I haven’t slept eight hours overall since Friday night. I should still be in bed, but my weak body aches too much, the room keeps spinning and my stomach feels like Ryan Howard used it for batting practice last night.

I don't know which strand of flu I am inflicted with, but I do know that no matter how lousy I feel right now I probably feel better than anyone wearing Dodger Blue.

Last night was simply awful for Los Angeles and its baseball fans. In fact, awful is too weak of a superlative. How about beaten and left for dead?

I can’t imagine any Dodger fan feels good about their teams chances against the defending champion Philadelphia Phillies at this moment.

After all, they should feel lucky to only be down two-games-to-one because they needed an error in the field from Chase Utley and an error in judgement from Manager Charlie Manuel (who took a smoking hot Pedro Martinez out after only 87 pitches) just to squeak by with a win in Game Two.

That setback has only made the Phillies more focussed in their drive to repeat. For evidence, I submit Game Three of the 2009 National League Championship Series.

First off, I am not even sure the 11 to 0 score conveys just how lopsided the game was.

It was so bad that the Phillies outscored the normally high-powered Eagles’ offense by two points!

It was so bad that every single Philly starter, including pitching ace Cliff Lee, scored at least one run. The Phillies garnered eleven hits altogether, more than half of which were of the extra base variety including long balls by Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino.

It was so bad that the same Dodgers’ pitcher (Hiroki Kurada) who secured the team's only win in the 2008 NLCS against the Phillies left the game after only recording four outs. His ERA was over 40!

Meanwhile, it was all good for the Phillies. Starter Cliff Lee went eight full innings without an earned run, striking out ten and only giving up three hits. He turned the series around faster than you can say “the best mid-season acquistion in baseball.”

So far, he has only given up two earned runs in 24.1 postseason innings, which translates to a postseason ERA of 0.74. That is not a typo. Cole Hamels was utterly fantastic last year in the playoffs, but Lee seems poised to be even more brilliant this October.

Looking ahead to this afternoon, I expect an angry and embarrassed Dodger team to give the Phillies a tough game. Regardless, I don’t see how they can actually win this series unless the Phillies completely crumble, which I just don’t see that happening, (especially since their biggest bat continues to be on a tear through the playoffs).

Last year, Ryan Howard was only 8 for 31 (.258) with five runs and three RBIs during the entire first two rounds of the playoffs (a total of nine games), yet the Phillies still managed to go 7 and 2 in those outings because they certainly don’t need to rely on one bat, even the mighty bat of Howard.

However, when he’s hot, he can carry the team for quite some time, and he’s definitely running a fever right now (along with the rest of the team).

In 2009, after only seven playoff games, he is batting 10 for 26 (.385) with six runs and 12 RBIs. That is downright lethal. He's had at least one hit in every postseason game, and at least one RBI to boot.

As long as the Big Guy continues his hot streak, the Dodgers will suffer from the terminal Blue Flu that currently plagues them. That’s OK, though. They can have all the bed rest they need after two more losses.

Despite Game Two, Phils Right Where They Want To Be...

2009-10-16T23:45:00.005-04:00

Tonight, with the Dodgers tying the National League Championship Series at one game a piece, the Phillies seem to have taken a step backward. The team and fans hope it is only a small step, however. The legendary, albeit aging, Pedro Martinez pitched an incredible game, allowing only two hits while shutting out Los Angeles over seven innings. Unfortunately for him, a victory was not to be as the Phils’ poor offensive performance, a questionable managerial decision and a second baseman who appears to have completely forgotten how to throw a baseball made sure that Martinez’s effort was, in the end, completely meaningless.

It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Phillies' normally potent offense was shut down by Vicente Padilla in game two. At times during the season, the offense looked horrible at best during certain stretches. Tonight, unfortunately, looked like one of those nights. Aside from a solo homerun from Ryan Howard in the fourth inning, Philadelphia was only able to muster four hits, a tough spot for any pitcher, including Martinez.

From there, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel made a highly questionable decision by pinch hitting for Pedro Martinez in the top of the eighth inning. At that point, Martinez had thrown only eighty seven pitches and had completely dominated the Dodgers. Regardless of that Charlie felt that it was time to take his one run lead and put it into the hands of a bullpen that the Dodgers probably couldn’t wait to get their hands on. A booted groundball by normally fantastic third baseman Pedro Feliz and a perfectly placed bunt by Dodger second baseman Ronnie Belliard later, the Phillies came to realize their latest problem: Chase Utley and his arm from hell.

Instead of going into a play by play on what transpired next, as it’s already been seen, heard, reported and dissected by every “expert” in the country, let’s just say that the normally superb defensive second baseman, Chase Utley continued an interesting defensive post season. For the second game in a row he completely threw a double play away, one that nearly cost the team a game and one that did cost the team a game. A closer look, however, shows that Chase Utley has been having a problem throwing to first base this entire post season. Many of his, what are normally routine plays have resulted in some pretty interesting throws to first. Often, Ryan Howard has had to stretch as high as he can to catch Utley’s floaters to first. While it is possible that some have noticed this, surely no one thought it to be a problem until now. Either way, something as simple as Chase Utley throwing a baseball to first base has become a major concern.

All in all, the Phillies can’t be too upset about what transpired in Los Angeles. They still come away having won one of the games on the road, which was their main goal in the first place, they were able to hit, what most consider to be LA’s best starting pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, very hard in game one. Pedro Martinez has shown that he can still pitch and furthermore, aside from a strange fluke of an eighth inning the Dodgers did absolutely nothing to the Phillies offensively in game two. With the series tied at one and coming back to Philadelphia, the team and the fans should have their heads high knowing that this is exactly where they hoped to be at this point; having brought home field advantage back to Philly.

Post-Season Coincidences

2009-10-16T11:27:00.001-04:00

Despite what happened in the 2009 MLB playoffs, watching baseball for Phillies fans must have been an extra special treat this year. Not only did the Phillies clinch their third consecutive Phillies post-season appearance, but the players and coaches of other teams in the playoffs also reminded fans of fond memories. The Angels and Dodgers happened to have some of the most notable ex- Phillies players and coaches in franchise history. The amount of Philly related people on opposing post-season teams proves how much teams change year from year, and why there may occasionally be some rivalries or tensions between certain teams.

The Angels, who have been one of the top teams in all of baseball this decade finally beat the Boston Red Sox in the National League division series for the first time in four years, embarrassingly sweeping the Sox three games to none. Without the help of longtime Phillies hero Bobby Abreu, and Norristown native Mike Scioscia, the Angels manager since 1999, the Angels might not have even made it to the post-season! Mike Scioscia attended Norristown High School and spent most of his career on the west coast, but being a Philadelphia native is something especially fascinating. Bobby Abreu, who was originally drafted by the then Tampa Bay Devil Rays, was immediately traded to the Phillies in 1997. Abreu played eight seasons with the Phillies (1998-2005) before being traded to the Yankees in 2006. Abreu was elected to two all-star games, won the 2005 homerun derby, won one gold glove award and one silver slugger with his time with the Phillies.

The Dodgers, who had a plethora of ex-Phillies entering the NLCS for the second straight year against the Phillies, looked for redemption against the ’08 champs. Vicente Padilla, Jim Thome, Larry Bowa, and Randy Wolf all played for the Phillies in their career (just to name a few). On the contrary, Phillies’ Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Pedro Martinez, and Davey Lopes were all apart of the Dodgers’ franchise at some point in their career as well.

Also, interestingly enough, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel coached Dodgers’ Manny Ramirez in Cleveland in the 90’s. Dodgers’ manager Joe Torre had a brother who played for the Phillies. Shane Victorino and Pedro Martinez were brought up in the LA’s organization, but the Dodgers declined both players, saying that they either were too small or weren’t good enough. Also, Dodgers first base coach Marino Duncan played for the Phillies after playing with the Dodgers for four years. Lastly, Phils first base coach Davey Lopes played for the Dodgers while Dodgers third base coach Larry Bowa played for the Phillies in the 1980 NLCS, in which the Phillies won and went on to become 1980 world champions.

The interconnections and coincidences in baseball is what make this great game so fun and exciting to watch. How much you think these familiarities affected the 2009 playoffs?

Enjoying a Metsless Postseason

2009-10-13T12:42:00.002-04:00

Now that the post-season has taken my focus off the Mets I find life as a baseball fan so much more peaceful. Truth be told, I actually quite enjoy the playoffs when my team isn't in them.

Perhaps this is a matter of being conditioned that more often than not, the Mets are not playoff bound, but part of it also involves relishing the supreme lack of stress when your team is not in it. Instead of fretting over every pitch, you are a merely a bystander enjoying the game itself. Sure, you pick a surrogate team to root for but it’s all very casual. If they win, that’s nice. If they don’t, they’re not the Mets so it really doesn’t matter. Another perk is that you are not chained to the television for bizarre start times. You also can flip the channel if a game is boring without any guilt.

Yes, there is definitely something to be said for the detachment factor of a Metsless postseason. After a miserable effort in 2009, I can now watch the Yankees and see what kind of team can be built with a large payroll if the people spending the money do so judiciously. I can also proudly claim that Carlos Gomez, the Twins player who had the most impact on Yankees sweeping the A.L.D.S., is a product of the Mets’ farm system; a system where clearly base-running fundamentals are not on the current curriculum.

Or how about taking secret pleasure in the fact that there are other teams out there that can’t find a way to score with the bases loaded and no outs? Similarly, what about teams that head into the 9th inning with a lead only to blow games in the same ridiculous ways that I watched the Mets blow them this whole season?

Yes, fellow Mets fans, thus far the 2009 postseason has been a delight, even if only to make us feel better that at least our team wasn’t committing their heinous baseball crimes on the playoff stage. And with that I salute those players responsible for putting a small wry smile on my face this October. Matt Holliday, Jonathan Papelbon, Huston Street, Carlos Gomez, Joe Nathan and all the rest, a round of applause is in order! Keep up the good work and maybe, just maybe, at some point you’ll come to the Mets where bad fundamentals at exorbitant salaries are part of the culture.

C-C-Crazy in Colorado!

2009-10-12T12:13:00.005-04:00

By Chris Pollay

It was a cold game.

I was half surprised to see that none of the players in Game Three of the Colorado-Philadelphia series were wearing ice skates. Nobody seemed to suffer from frostbite, either. In fact, the bats somehow remained incredibly hot even in the most frigid of temperatures... 35 degrees at the START of the four-hour game, which tied for the coldest game-time temperature in postseason history.

The game featured 18 hits and eleven runs, an extremely high number considering that the dugouts were nicely heated and the base paths were downright chilly.

It was a close game.

The Phillies struck first with a Chase Utley solo shot in the top of the first and I found myself smiling because rookie starting pitcher J.A. Happ has been a scrooge with earned runs all season long.

Well, until last night anyway. He didn’t hold the lead long. He gave up two runs in the first and another in the third and left the game after only three innings.

He allowed five hits and two walks altogether and most of that damage came from the bat of Garrett Atkins, a man who I never had any beef with before yesterday but suddenly found myself cursing his name loudly and often as he seemed bent on giving the Rockies a one-game lead single-handedly.

But, the seesaw battle changed tone in the top of the fourth when the Phillies exploded for three runs (without a long ball, for once). When Raul Ibañez drew a bases-loaded walk I felt the momentum change. I knew the Phillies were going to win. I just knew it.

Well, until the bottom of the same inning when #%@!ing Carlos Gonzalez went deep and tied the game at four. It hurt, don’t get me wrong, but I would be remiss if I did not point out that the Phillies’ bullpen (considered its biggest weakness) came through as its biggest strength last night, giving up only two runs in six innings!

Fortunately, another Carlos (Mr. Ruiz) came through in the clutch again for the Phils with an RBI single in the sixth. I was able to ramble on about how much he improved this season (and, how this crucial hit ACTUALLY LEFT THE INFIELD) to anybody who cared for a full inning before the blasted Rockies showed their resilience yet again and knotted the game up at five a piece in the bottom of the 7th.

That’s when I looked for the Rolaids. R-O-L-A-I-D-S may spell “relief” (as the old ad slogan goes), but I knew that a late-inning tied game favored the Rockies.

It was a crazy game... and a loooong one, too.

There were 12 pitchers in the game altogether, and it didn’t even go to extra innings.

I certainly couldn’t have predicted the 9th inning, to be sure. I certainly didn’t see Utley get hit by the ball in his “Excuse Me” single, and I’m guessing he actually didn’t feel it since he had probably been numb from the baseball hat down for about four hours before it happened.

That was a big play and a blown call, but it didn’t cost the Rockies the game. After all, they faced the shakiest closer in postseason on the mound in the bottom of the ninth, and had men on first and second.

Yet, despite the all-too-familiar scenario for Philly fans, Brad Lidge came through when it counted most, proving you can blow eleven saves and go 0-8 for the year with a 7.21 ERA and it means nothing if you can come through in the playoffs.

Now, he’s one-for-one in saves with an ERA of 0.00 and the Phillies have taken a lead in the only truly exciting first round playoff series in baseball. No chance for a sweep in this series, just one crazy game after another. I can't wait for Game Four.

Where Have You Gone Cole?

2009-10-10T11:25:00.003-04:00

After a superb six-hit complete game performance by Phillies’ ace Cliff Lee in the opening game of the NLDS on Wednesday afternoon, Cole Hamels wasn’t at the top of his game even before he took the mound for first pitch the next day. .

The Phillies, who are hungry for some revenge against the Rockies since they swept them in the 2007 NLDS, posted five runs on the board and defeated the Rockies 5-1 in game one. Phils manager Charlie Manuel then gave Cole Hamels the nod for the start in game two.

Philly fans definitely had to be feeling good about their chances after hearing this. Though Hamels has struggled throughout the course of the 2009 regular season, he is no stranger to success in the post-season. In the Phillies 2008 championship run, Hamels went 4-0 and earned NLCS and World Series MVP honors. Without Hamels’ clutch post-season performance last year, the Phillies would not have won the title.

Before Thursday’s 2:30 afternoon start time, Cole Hamels voiced his displeasure about the game time start to the media saying, “Being the defending world champs, I think it’s kind of a little weird that we get both games at 2:30.” Unfortunately, game time was not the only thing wandering around in Hamels’ head.

After Hamels was pulled out of the game after throwing just five innings and only 83 pitches, Hamels was notified that his wife was in labor. Hamels immediately left the stadium and headed for the hospital. Asked if this affected Hamels on the mound, Manuel told the media, “I know he was concerned about his wife – and his child too. That’s an exciting time. You’d have to ask him if it affected him. I don’t know exactly what was on his mind and what he was thinking.”

Though the Phillies put up a fight, they weren’t able to pull off another victory as the Rockies finished them off, winning 5-4 and splitting the series. This momentum for the Rockies is definitely a threat to the Phillies. With the series tied 1-1 and now the Rockies with home field advantage for the next two games in Colorado, the Phillies are going to have to step it up, especially in the pitching department.

Veteran Pedro Martinez, who will start game 3, brings promise and hope to the Phillies, but who knows how 30 degree temperature and a few flurries may affect him.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but if the Phillies can get past the Rockies in the NLDS (which will not be a walk in the park), then that means that Cole Hamels will start game one of the NLCS against either the Dodgers or Cardinals. If the Phillies want any chance of winning back to back championships, they are going to have to find where Cole is because if he doesn’t come out of his hiding soon, it will be too late.
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Thank God It’s Over!

2009-10-06T17:17:00.004-04:00

The 2009 Mets season mercifully ended on Sunday with a three game sweep of the equally putrid Astros. In what has become a yearly event following the Mets regular season close, management addressed the media yesterday to both apologize for the putrid season and to reassure fans that they will do their best to fill the holes for 2010 and field a winning team. But after three years of the same talk and little action, are the fans even listening anymore?

In yesterday’s press conference, Omar Minaya, Jeff Wilpon and Jerry Manuel all addressed the media in yet another attempt at damage control for this disastrous season. Considering the past bungling press conferences this season, I guess Mets fans can take some solace in that none of these three musketeers suffered from the rampant “foot-in-mouth” syndrome that had previously infected their dealings with the media. But on the other hand, they really said nothing new or worthwhile. They attempted to assure fans that 2009 was a fluke and that they will make the changes necessary so that this won’t happen again in 2010, but so far, the only changes made were some minor ones with the coaching staff. And for whatever reason, third base coach Razor Shines and pitching coach Dan Warthen, the two who most deserved the ax, were spared. Though stripped of his horrendous third base coaching duties, Shines, a close friend of Jerry Manuel, will remain as a coach in some capacity.

They also mentioned reaching out to recently fired Toronto and San Diego GM’s J.P. Ricciardi and Kevin Towers about possible positions within the organization. Again, this is a smart path but pretty insignificant when trying to placate an angry fan base for the third year in a row. If anything, it just puts two qualified individuals in contention as Omar’s replacement if the team doesn’t improve in 2010.

Sadly, most Mets fans at this point are angry enough after the failures of 2006 through 2009 to require drastic moves this off-season, both on the field and in the front office. This translates to bloodlust and a justifiable obsession with bringing Bobby Valentine back on board. Valentine is the type of manager who makes average players shine and is a stickler for fundamentals. Valentine would not stand for the shenanigans of base running and mental errors this season brought forth from both veterans and rookies alike. And the truth of the matter is, some time in early August, Manuel completely lost control of the ship. Even with all of the injuries, there is no excuse for the Mets to have lost 90 games and to lose many of them in embarrassing fashion. For this, Jerry Manuel needed to be the sacrificial lamb of the 2009 season. For fans, that would symbolize a fresh start for 2010 even if Omar Minaya remains.

But Jeff Wilpon is either an incredibly benevolent man or the Madoff scam is a factor in giving Jerry and Omar one last shot to turn things around. So as fans, we will wait and see what this off-season will bring. I somewhat trust Omar’s ability to fill the holes at catcher, first base, left field and in the starting rotation. He has pulled off some good deals during his time here and knowing his job is on the line is probably extra incentive to do whatever it takes to turn things around. But the question is, will whatever is done in the off-season be enough to turn this team into a winner in 2010? Only time will tell, but here’s hoping Bobby V. is still biding his time ESPN when we need him.

NLDS: Colorado (92-70) vs. Philadelphia (93-69)

2009-10-05T13:24:00.028-04:00

By Chris Pollay

The 2009 National League Division Series will feature two teams that pack a lot of punch at the plate. The Phillies lead the National League with runs scored (820), home runs (224) total bases (2,493) and SLG (.447). The Rockies placed second in the same categories: runs scored (804), home runs (190), total bases (2,378) and SLG (.441).

The Phillies, as usual, relied heavily on the long ball this season. Ryan Howard delivered another monster performance with 45 HRs (3rd best in MLB) and 141 RBIs (which tied Milwaukee's Prince Fielder for the most in MLB).

Also providing power in the Phillies' lineup was Jayson Werth with 36 HRs (ranked 7th in the NL) and 99 RBIs; Raul Ibañez with 34 HRs (ranked 9th in the NL) and 93 RBIs; and Chase Utley with 31 HRs and 93 RBIs. In fact, Philadelphia featured six players with at least 75 RBIs.

The Rockies proved to be potent, too, although they only had four players with that many RBIs: Troy Tulowitzki had 92 RBIs (and a team-high 32 homers); Brad Hawpe and Todd Helton each racked up 86 RBIs; and Clint Barmes tallied in 76.

The edge in the hitting department clearly goes to the Phillies, but the Rockies will be the most dangerous offense they will face in the National League playoffs.

Interestingly enough, the Rockies proved to be masters of patience and small ball, as well. The team lead the National League in two revealing categories: sacrifice flies (60) and base on balls (660).

The team also draws a lot of strength from one of the game's best and purest hitters over the past 13 seasons. During his career, Todd Helton has clipped a cumulative .328 batting average with 2,134 hits and 1,202 total RBIs.

This season, the future Hall-of-Famer batted .325, which was good enough to place 4th overall in the NL. He is the best hitter in the series.

The Phillies proved to be a much more potent baserunning squad with 119 stolen bases in 2009 (ranked 2nd in the NL). Rollins stole 31. Shane Victorino had 25. Utley had 23 and Werth had 20. The Rockies only have two significant basestealing threats: Dexter Fowley (27) and Troy Tulowitzki (20).

In terms of pitching the series is almost even with the Phillies holding the edge in the starting rotation and the Rockies barely boasting a better bullpen (largely because the starting closer position for the defending champs is a big question mark).

Overall, Philadelphia accrued a better team ERA: 4.16 to 4.24. The teams were virtually even in strikeouts (Colorado had 1,154 and Philly had 1,153), but the Phillies gave up 39 less walks and were ranked 2nd in the NL in that category with 489. On the flip side, Colorado gave up 48 less home runs in 2009.

Colorado does feature an impressive batch of starting pitchers: Ubaldo Jimenez (15-12, 3.47 ERA, 198 strikeouts), Jorge de la Rosa (16-9, 4.38 ERA, 193 strikeouts), Jason Marquis (15-13, 4.04 ERA, 115 strikeouts), Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.33 ERA, 133 strikeouts) and Aaron Cook (11-6, 4.16 ERA, 78 strikeouts).

The Phillies starters have pitched a lot less innings than their Colorado counterparts, but a large reason for that is because Cliff Lee and Pedro Martinez were added to the team late in the season.

Regardless, the late additions have settled in nicely and have given the team a formidable "big five" rotation: Joe Blanton (12-8, 4.05 ERA, 163 strikeouts), Cole Hamels (10-11, 4.32 ERA, 168 strikeouts), J.A. Happ (12-4, 2.93 ERA, 119 strikeouts), Cliff Lee (7-4, 3.39 ERA, 94 strikeouts) and Pedro Martinez (5-1, 3.63 ERA, 50 strikeouts).

Forget the numbers, though. The Phillies have a World Series MVP (Hamels) and two former Cy Young winners (Lee and Martinez) on the roster. That makes for a better starting rotation no matter how you slice it.

That leads us to the bullpen, which is the Phillies' biggest weakness. How much will we see of Brad Lidge (7.21 ERA and eleven blown saves) during the series? Only Charlie Manuel knows. If Lidge does pitch, can he rise to the challenge like last season? It's hard to imagine that happening since his confidence has nosedived all season long.

So, the advantage in the closing department clearly goes to Colorado. Huston Street had 35 saves in 2009 (ranked 3rd in the NL) and was consistent with an impressive 3.06 ERA. Also of note, he only had two blown saves this year.

Overall, the Rockies converted 73.8% of their save opportunities, which ranked 3rd in the NL. The Phillies weren't as bad as they seemed. They converted 66.7% of their saves, which ended up 7th in the NL overall.

With the exception of the closing role, however, the Phillies have a more experienced and versatile bullpen which will give Manuel a lot of leeway in tight situations.

Other factors will come into play, as well. The Phillies were only 45-36 at home this season, but the playoffs are a different animal. The home field advantage will come into play, as will defense.

Philadelphia committed only 76 errors this season and held the 2nd best fielding percentage in the NL with .987. They also threw out base stealers 28% of the time while Colorado only threw out 19%.

Expect a much different outcome from the 2007 playoff series between these teams. Colorado may have swept the Phils in three games, but this year they are facing the defending champs and I suspect Philadelphia will wake up and rise to the occasion.

Final Result: Phillies in four games.

The Phillies win the NL East: Highlights From 2009

2009-10-02T20:18:00.007-04:00

By Mike Mader

With their 10-3 win over Houston last night, the Philadelphia Phillies clinched the NL East for the 3rd year in a row. This year's title felt different, but equally as satisfying as the first two. This time, the Phillies were the defending champs. They didn't sneak up on anybody. Everybody knew they would be good and they got other team's best shot. They didn't get seriously challenged. The battled complacency and a shaky bullpen, and still the Phillies were able to put it all together and win the division.

When you watch just about every single game of a 162 game season, the big moments like last night are rewarding in a unique way. I almost felt like I had accomplished something even though I didn't take a swing or throw a pitch. But the reason I watch 162+ baseball games a year is not for the big things. It's for the little things. Baseball rewards it's fans with subtleties. There are things you can't glean from simply looking at statistics. You get to see a young player establish himself in the big leagues. A player entering his prime busts outwith a career year. A pitcher develops a new pitch and finds success. A veteran loses a step or two but still finds a way to produce.

The Phillies clearly have some questions they need to answer heading into the postseason, but those are questions for another day. Here, now, are my favorite things about the 2009 Philadelphia Phillies.

Shane Victorino learned how to be an effective 2-hole hitter. He has perfected the art of the grounder to the right side with a runner on 2nd. Though his numbers are virtually identical to 2008's, Victorino is a much smarter hitter.

Chan Ho Park wanted to be a starter so his South Korean countrymen could watch him pitch on a regular basis. He won the job out of spring train and was awful. But instead of sulking when he was moved to the bullpen, he became perhaps the most reliable reliever the Phillies had this year.

JA Happ lost the 5th starter's spot out of spring training to Park even though he pitched very well. He dealt with weeks of rumors that he would be traded to Toronto for Roy Halladay. He almost lost his rotation spot again when Pedro Martinez was ready to pitch. Through it all he exhibited a cool, calm demeanor and let his performance to the talking for him. His recent injury might keep him from winning Rookie of the Year, but he has established himself as a part of this team's core.

RAAAUUUUULLL!!! Ibanez replaced a fan favorite in Pat Burrell and endeared himself to the fan base with a monster first half.

Ryan Howard lost 30 pounds and drastically improved his defense even though he signed a 3 year, $54 million extension in the offseason. He also stole 8 bases, which was fun.

Chase Utley. Just everything. He is my favorite athlete of all time.

Kyle Kendrick came up with a changeup an just might make the playoff roster because of it.

Brett Myers rushed back from hip surgery as fast as he possibly could to try to help the Phillies out of the bullpen for the stretch run. He's a free agent after the year and could have taken it easy and not put his health at risk.

Pedro Feliz, at age 34, reinvented himself into a smarter, more patient hitter and a reliable RBI man in the 7th spot in the order.

The reaction of Carlos Ruiz whenever he guns down a runner attempting to steal.

Eric Bruntlett's unassisted triple play. We've been killing that guy all season, and deservedly so. It's fitting that he would be the one to be involved with one of the rarest plays in baseball.

Matt Stairs swinging for the fences. Every. Single. Time.

Cliff Lee's first five starts in a Phillies uniform were what greatness looks like.

Joe Blanton fully reached his potential this season. He is a number 2/3 starter on a championship-caliber club.

Pedro Martinez has been a joy to watch. He came here with a bit of a diva reputation, but by all accounts he has been a fantastic teammate and seems to fully appreciate the opportunity he has been afforded this season.

Brad Lidge has been awful this season. But when he entered the game to get the final out last night, I got chills. That was such a great moment. Despite what I or anybody (everybody) else might think, Charlie Manuel obviously thinks that BradLidge is going to be an important part of the postseason this year. If that didn't help Lidge's confidence, there is absolutely nothing that will. I felt like I could have thrown 95 after something like that. It's things like that that make me appreciate that Charlie Manuel is the manager of this club.

By Mike Mader

Reading the Smoke Signals

2009-10-01T14:27:00.005-04:00

For a team as pained as the Mets to reduce ticket prices for next season, you know there have to be some major concerns about who's going to be paying to keep the lights on. But you've really got to wonder how to read between the lines when they follow that up with an email stating we plan to improve the ball club through a combination of player signings, trades, enhanced player development and continued commitment to one of the highest player payrolls in Major League Baseball.Given the Mets history regarding honesty, doublespeak, communication faux pas, and public relations nightmares, you'll have to forgive me if I'm less than enthusiastic about what any of this means.

On face value you'd believe the Mets plans to sign big names, trade dead wood, and build a minor league system that it can grow from, while keeping its salary commitment at #2 in the Majors. But you can almost hear the finagling going on in the back office, as to what management might be planning and how you really should decipher their words:

A - We will try to sign players from a thin free agent pool, but - just like you can't blame us for a bad year because of all the injuries - you can't blame us if there's no one to pick from, or if prices are simply not what we're going to pay.

B - This year proved that our depth is sorely lacking, and a bunch of the guys you saw on the field this year need to go away. To that end, we're going to trade them off to anyone who'll take them, and in return we're sure to get back from them just as much talentless mediocrity as we're peddling.

C - Our player development has been horrendous, so we're not really starting with the bar being set too high. We are committed to enhancing player development, and at this stage we could probably fulfill that commitment by looking for pointers from a couple of those kids from the Little League team in Staten Island.

D. We are committed to one of the highest payrolls in the MLB. This year we were #2. There are 30 teams in the league. If we drop to #6 next year, that still puts us in the top 20%. So even if we lower payroll, we could still say that's one of the highest payrolls in the Majors, right?

Am I jaded? You betcha. The truth of the matter is that the ticket price reduction should have simply be presented as "we stunk up our new field this season, and we want to do something for our fans to show our appreciation for sticking with us." That would be layman's honesty. Instead, they packaged that bit of news as a sensitivity to the economy. If they really were sensitive to the economy, wouldn't they have reduced prices this season, long before all hope was lost? Yes, they did end with a small note about loyalty and support, but the bigger spin was that they're reacting to next year's economy. There's a crystal ball I wish I had...

Speaking of crystal balls, my prediction of July 8 has come true: The Mets will end the season in 4th place in the NLE. Right now the only prediction I can make for next season is that when it comes to the Mets, you'd better listen to what's being said out of both sides of the mouth.

Tweet me at twitter.com/mikevooss

Even Costumes Can't Hide the Ugliness of a 90 Loss Season

2009-09-29T10:40:00.005-04:00

Last night, the Mets lost their 90th game of the season to the Nationals’ Ross Detwiller, who earned his first Major League victory. Despite a good performance from journeyman pitcher Nelson Figueroa, the Mets anemic offense could not break through against the Nats. Playing another round of listless baseball, this team is clearly done for the year and is now just mailing it in until the season comes to a merciful close.

In April, no one would have expected the Mets to have the sixth worst record in baseball. After missing the playoffs by a hair in 2007 and 2008, Sports Illustrated even predicted this team to go to the World Series. Unfortunately, a ridiculous rash of injuries threw a wrench in that plan, but even so, there really is no excuse for the mediocrity this team has displayed on the field over the past three months. Lack of hustle and a complete ineptness when it comes to baseball fundamentals is what has put this team at 90 losses and counting. You can expect some degree of mental and physical mistakes when most of your regular 25 man roster is replaced by subs and young minor leaguers, but we have also seen a ton of mistakes this year from the veterans and it is inexcusable.

While I don’t necessarily advocate Jerry Manuel and the coaches being fired, some blame has to be shifted on to this staff because clearly, the team is not responding. The same thing happened under Bobby Valentine and Willie Randolph towards the end of their respective runs as manager as well. I can’t say that about Art Howe because the leadership wasn’t there with him from the very beginning, but that’s another story. But once the season ends, Omar and Jeff Wilpon really need to evaluate everything. This includes the major and minor league players and the coaching, medical and scouting staff throughout the organization. They need to find out what isn’t working and make changes. They also need to set a direction for the club so they have a specific plan in place to fill the areas of deficiencies both on and off the field. There is no cohesion within the Mets and that needs to change because next year could be another bust if they head into spring training and everyone isn’t on the same page.

You may ask yourself, how bad is the lack of direction the Mets have displayed this year? Well, it is so bad that the players can’t even get their rookie hazing ritual right. This rag tag collection of randomness just perfectly illustrates the lack of direction, cohesion and teamwork. Check out: Mets 2009 Rookie Hazing.

And on the flip side, you have the Yankees 2009 rookie hazing, which was well planned with a consistent theme – much like their team. And, their costumes don’t look like the $19.99 specials from the nearest Halloween Adventure stores.
Yankees 2009 Rookie Hazing.

Pretty obvious just in comparing these two photos which of the New York Teams are playoff bound and the other is preparing for a long offseason.

One Week to Go...

2009-09-28T12:27:00.005-04:00

by Chris Pollay

Most MLB teams that finish the season on a hot streak usually play well in the playoffs.

With that in mind, which team would you rather be rooting for right now? TEAM A was 6-0 last week and has won 15 of their last 18 games, sweeping four of their last five series. Also, the coming week looks to include more of the same as they play the Washington Nationals four times.

TEAM B was 3-4 this past week and has seven games left. Four are against the Houston Astros, which the team is a hapless 0-4 in 2009 contests.

Obviously the answer is TEAM B since it is the Philadelphia Phillies and TEAM A is the Atlanta Braves who still trail in the National League East division by five games and the Wild Card race by 2.5 games. While they are red hot at the moment, they might not even make the playoffs.

The Phillies could go 3-4 again this week and the Braves could win all seven of their remaining games and the Phillies would still take the division and actually have a better overall win-loss record than last year’s 92-70 showing.

Still, Philly fans aren’t exactly brimming with confidence as the 2009 postseason fast approaches. After all, it is unavoidable for fans to start comparing this year’s team to last year’s champion ballclub, and of course, the team’s ability to close out games has been converted from its greatest strength to its most vulnerable weakness.

However, I am not going to discuss the bullpen today, or any of the pitching. Instead, I would like to compare the offensive numbers of the Phillies' eight starting position players this season to the numbers from last season.

The first thing that jumped to my attention is the number of stolen bases. Last season, the Phillies managed 136 successful thefts in that department, making them a very, very dangerous baserunning team. In 2009, the numbers have dropped down to 110 stolen bases (with seven games left), which is still quite resepectable, but certainly not as lethal.

On the plus side, Chase Utley already has nine more stolen bases than last year; on the flip side, Jimmy Rollins has 17 less thus far and Victorino is down 12 from their 2008 totals.

Overall, though, I believe this is a much better offensive team than its 2008 counterparts. Let’s look at some of the big numbers:

2008 Phillies (162 games)

Total Runs: 799

Total Hits: 1,407

Total RBIs: 762

Total Home Runs: 214

2009 Phillies (155 games)

Total Runs: 786

Total Hits: 1,380

Total RBIs: 757

Total Home Runs: 217

Basically, the Phillies played a little more small ball last season, although they still relied heavily on the long ball for scoring production. This season, they have already managed to eclipse their 2008 home run total.

Carlos Ruiz has five more home runs thus far and Jimmy Rollins has ten more. At this point in 2009, Victorino and Werth currently have the same number of home runs they had last year (10 and 34, respectively) and Raul Ibanez has clipped 33, tying him with Pat Burrell’s 2008 performance. Howard (43) and Utley (31) are slightly down in total home runs, but could still reach last year’s totals with a hot final week at the plate.

In terms of batting average, Ruiz, Howard and Feliz have all significantly improved this season (.253, .277 and .267), and Ibañez’s .276 is a nice step up from Burrell’s .250 average in 2008.

Werth, Victorino and Utley are hitting virtually the same (.266, .292 and .290, respectively), but Rollins is down 30 points this season (from .277 to .247). Of course, that discrepancy can be attritubed to his early season struggles. It’s safe to say that he’s now out of the slump, which is a good thing since a hot leadoff hitter is a great advantage come playoff time.

Perhaps the most startling numbers can be found in RBI totals. Ruiz jumped from 31 in 2008 to 42 so far in 2009. Rollins and Feliz both already have 17 more RBIs a piece than last season. Victorino is two better overall and Ibañez has batted in three more than Burrell did. And, keep in mind, there are still seven games left.

Still, the player who really grabs attention is Jayson Werth. He has 94 RBIs so far in 2009, making a goal of 100 quite possible. That’s a big jump from his 67 in 2008. He made a great leap of talent this season and will be a big factor in the playoffs.

As for Howard and Utley, the two big guns of the offense in 2008 (with 146 and 104 RBIs, respectively), their numbers are down but still quite strong. Howard just tied for the National League lead in the category with 137 this season and Utley is flirting with 100 again with 91 total RBIs in 2009.

The 2009 offensive team is definitely slightly better than the 2008 one, at least on paper anyway. I am a firm advocate that pitching is the most important factor in the playoffs, but I also realize that a potent offense can always keep a team in position to win.

The 2009 Philadelphia Phillies will definitely be capable of doing precisely that as they lead the National League in runs scored (786) , doubles (303), home runs (217), SLG (.448), OPS (.783), and total bases (2,394).

How Charlie Manuel Has Destroyed Brad Lidge.

2009-09-25T22:18:00.003-04:00

Okay, it’s been said far too often, but enough is enough! In the back, or perhaps the front, of every Phillies fan’s mind each time that Brad Lidge takes his ninth inning walk from the bullpen to the pitchers mound is the collective thought that “He’s going to blow it”. There is one man, however, that still believes Brad can get the job done.

Phils’ manager Charlie Manuel has stuck by his guy through an excruciating season that has seen Brad Lidge blow eleven games and rack up and earned run average of 7.48. These are numbers that would have most guys looking for a job, or at least trying to work things out in the minors by now. One has to think, however, that even “Stand-by-me-Charlie” has to see what’s happening here.

For the past couple of weeks, Manuel has flip-flopped between replacing Brad as the closer and sticking with him. Even in his attempts to give some other guys a shot at closing, however, Manuel seems to be married to only one other player for that role. Ryan Madson, who has blown six saves himself this season is the only other guy that Manuel has tried. Perhaps Charlie doesn’t know that there are more than just two guys in his bullpen, but after Madson struggled mightily in the role, which was no surprise to anyone, he went right back to letting Lidge hang out there on Wednesday night in South Florida to implode and give the game away to the Marlins.

There seems to be a recurring theme in the Brad Lidge discussion this season and that is his confidence. Many people have reported that it will hurt Lidge’s confidence to take the closer job away from him. As we approach a semi-nail biting finish to this 2009 season, the question must be asked: Isn’t it hurting his confidence to continually put him out there to blow games for this team? It’s not as if Brad Lidge is an idiot and doesn’t know that he is having an awful year. Continuously setting a guy up to fail is not only terrible for his confidence but is also just flat out mean.

The problem at this point with replacing Lidge is that the only other guy Charlie has attempted to use as a closer is Madson, who has been terrible in that role this season in his own right. Charlie Manuel, instead of exploring potential backup plans to Brad Lidge sooner has now let the season fly right on by and hasn’t the slightest clue whether anyone else on the pitching staff can handle the pressures of closing out ballgames. Whether Charlie wakes up in the next week or so and realizes that he’s heading into the postseason with a gaping hole in the back end of his bullpen or continues to ignore the problem doesn’t really matter. The fact is, unless they at least try something, perhaps anything, they will lose in the playoffs, end of story.

Getting All Kubler-Ross On Brad Lidge

2009-09-24T19:53:00.003-04:00

Fellow Phillies fans, I don't know about you, but Brad Lidge's blown save last night (his 11th of the season) really took the piss out of me. Hours after the Florida Marlins rallied for 2 runs in the 9th to beat the Phillies 7-6, I found myself staring blankly at nothing in particular when the reality of the situation finally, certainly struck me. This is who Brad Lidge is. For this year anyway, this is what we can expect from him. Acceptance. Watching Lidge pitch this season, I had completely worked my way through the Kubler-Ross model, more commonly known as the 5 stages of grief. You are probably familiar with them: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. So as Brad Lidge threatens to single-handedly ruin the Phillies' chances of a World Series repeat in 2009, allow me to share my grieving process with you.

Denial. Lidge blew his first save of the season on April 18, at home against San Diego. It was his 4th opportunity of the year, and he had allowed runs in 2 of the first 3 that he converted. But he was awesome, awesome in 2008. A perfect 48 of 48 in save chances and other than Cole Hamels' work in the playoffs, Lidge was perhaps the biggest reason why 2 million people got to blow off work and see the Phillies' parade down Broad Street. He wasn't going to be perfect forever and besides, he might as well get these struggles out of the way early in the season. He's still Brad Lidge. He'll be fine. Lidge blew another save in Washington on May 15th, and in the meantime mixed in some shaky outings in non-save situations. Whatever. The Phillies still won a lot of those games. Problem? What Problem? There are absolutely no problems with the back of the Phillies bullpen. I pulled out the DVDs of the 2008 World Series to watch before I went to sleep at night. Newborns on Ambien don't sleep so soundly.

Anger. On May 23rd, the Phillies were in New York to play the Yankees. I live in New York. I got tickets. Decent ones, too. It was my first time at the new Yankee Stadium. It was my birthday. Raul Ibanez homered and I got to yell RAUUUUUUULLLL!!!!!! at all the Yankees fans. John Mayberry, Jr. went deep in his major league debut. The Phillies took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the 9th when Lidge came on to close out the game. After he walked Johnny Damon, Lidge served up the game-tying home run to A-Rod. To make matters worse, the ball landed about 10 feet from where I was sitting in rightfield. The winning run would score later that inning. On Sportscenter that evening I could be seen, in my red Phillies shirt, throwing my head back in disgust as Yankees fans in blue either reached for the ball or celebrated. Brad Lidge ruined my birthday.

Bargaining. Brad Lidge blew a save the very next day. About 2 weeks later, he blew back to back saves in Los Angeles before going on the disabled list with some knee issues. Great, the reason for all of his problems was that he was hurt. We can deal with that. He'll take some time off to get healthy and then be back as good as new. The Phillies were playing well, and nobody else in the division was emerging as a real threat. Let's take the long view here. It's still early, and a healthy Brad Lidge will make all the difference, right? If his knee isn't hurting him, whatever mechanical issues should get fixed, won't they? He can take as long as he needs, work on the things he needs to work on, clear his head, and be his old self again. Charlie Manuel will stay loyal to him. The fans will give him all the support we can possibly give. We won't even boo him! I swear! He deserves our support for all he did for us last year. We'll do anything to get that Brad Lidge back.

Depression. Lidge came off the DL in late June and promptly gave up 2 runs in a 6-1 loss in Toronto. June turned to July. Lidge looked a little better, but not really. July turned into August. Lidge's ERA still hovered around 7. This isn't getting better. This isn't going to get better. Charlie Manuel isn't going to try anything else. Brad Lidge is Charlie's closer. Bottles of Scotch are mine. Lidge blows a save in Chicago. His defense lets him down in Atlanta. Lidge blows a save in Pittsburgh. He can't even close out the Pirates! I find I need to drink heavily during close games. I beg for Pedro Martinez to close games. I beg for Brett Myers to get healthy. It turns out nobody with the Phillies will take my calls. I'm sad. My stomach is in knots. This team is too damn good to have one player ruin everything. Hopelessness overwhelms me. There are no answers. There is no god. There is no Brad Lidge. I don't want to watch this anymore.

Acceptance. But I do. I keep watching. I watch because that's who I am. That's who I've always been. I don't know what else to do on a summer night besides watch the Phillies. And when Brad Lidge hung his eleventy-billionth slider of the year to Brett Carroll, and Brett Carroll did what any Major League hitter does to a hanging slider, I knew that this is who Brad Lidge is too. 2008 is a distant and wonderful memory, and the Brad Lidge that pitched in 2008 is gone. Perhaps not for good, but for 2009. What we are left with is the best offense in baseball, some fantastic starting pitching, and a bullpen that can't get anybody out. There's no fixing this folks, it's too late. Brad Lidge is our closer. Ask Charlie Manuel. Brad Lidge is his closer. I think he says it over and over hoping that he might eventually believe it. We are headed toward a scary end to our season in October. I remember the 1993 Phillies team that had an equally scary closer by the name of Mitch Williams. We all know how that ended. I was 11 and inconsolable at the time. Now? I've prepared myself. That doesn't mean it's going to be easy. The 2009 Phillies, as good as they are, aren't winning anything with Brad Lidge pitching the 9th inning of close games. There is nothing that we as fans can do but accept it. And scream our lungs out hoping that we are wrong.

If you're into that sort of thing, you can read me more often at MikeonthePhillies.

Zen and the ailing Mets fan

2009-09-23T23:28:00.008-04:00

As the season comes to a not-soon-enough close for this Mets fan, I find myself flummoxed. Exasperated. Mostly speechless. So I've turned to some of my Twitterati to help sum up this year's season for me. In Haiku. Here's what they've come up with (a few with some syllabic license):

Torture and sorrow
Injured, spirit broken down
Twenty ten, oh boy
-yaysarcasm

Hope lives.
Team gets injured.
Hope dies.
-ElifromBrooklyn

recession bailout plan.
collapse now pay less later.
still are a no-show.
-wmburden

We sucked at Shea Stadium,
We continue to suck at Citi Field,
suck suck suck suck suck...
-fscker

Fernando Tatis
300 at bats--really!
that just sums it up.
-mattsito (via wendy93639)

And my own additions:

One for Pelf:
As I lick my palms,
all thoughts of championships fade,
no control, just yips.

One for Ollie:
Jerry pull me quick,
I think I no pitch too bad,
money for nothing.

One for the season's magic moment:
Way up in the sky,
I see a bird and a cloud,
Where did the ball go?

And one to sum things up:
Sports Illustrated.
Chosen ones end in fourth place.
Subscription cancelled.

If you'd like to follow me on Twitter, visit twitter.com/mikevooss

The Few Bright Notes of 2009

2009-09-22T13:34:00.003-04:00

As painful as the Mets' 2009 season has been, as September draws to a close, it’s time to examine the few bright spots that give us hope that 2010 will be a better year. Amidst the misery that comprised much of this season, a few players stand out for either having exceptional seasons, overcoming adversity or for just plain gutting it out as team players when so many others clearly played for individual stats. So with this in mind, some kudos to those who rose above the cumulative mediocrity and gave us fans something to cheer about.

Luis Castillo

After a horrendous 2008 season where he batted a mere .245, Castillo came into spring training in better shape and determined to prove that last year was an aberration. While Castillo isn’t the best defensive second baseman, he has hit well in 2009, with an average hovering around .311. He has been in the middle of countless scoring rallies and also gets bonus points for the way he handled the dropped pop-up which cost the Mets a game against the Yankees in June. He has played in over 140 games this season and since that infamous dropped pop-up game, has batted .337.

David Wright

While David’s sudden lack of power and increased strikeouts this season has drawn the ire of many critics, the fact is, he is still hitting over .300 and has gutted it out to play pretty much every game aside from the few he spent on the disabled list. At various points this season, he was the lone Met regular in the line-up and deserves credit for not only playing without any rest whatsoever but also for coming back after being dangerously beaned in the head.

Daniel Murphy

After Murphy’s failed experiment in left field, most young players would not have had the confidence or ability to learn a new position midseason and show promise in the field. Murphy has done just that and has even shown some flashes of brilliance at first base. Though he struggled with the bat the first half of 2009, he has been hitting much better since July, raising his average to .266. Murphy is hitting .304 this September and is tied with Albert Pujols for the most extra base hits this month. He also leads the team in doubles (36) and home runs (11 – yes, pathetic…). Sadly, Daniel probably will become a star for another team next year as unless the Mets find some power in left field or behind the plate, his 11 home runs just won’t be enough from a first baseman.

Pedro Feliciano

Pedro Feliciano seems to have been in every game this season, challenging his own record for the most appearances in a single season set last year. The lefty specialist reliever is pitching to a 3.02 ERA and lefties are hitting just .227 against him. If only the rest of our bullpen was half as reliable…

Jeff Francouer

When the Ryan Church for Jeff Francouer trade first happened, I must admit to not being thrilled. In hindsight, though, this was a very good move by Omar Minaya. It seems a change of scenery injected new life into Francouer, who in 64 games with the Mets is batting .314 with a .342 OBP, seven HR and 34 RBI. You also have to love the grittiness and the desire to win that Francouer exudes. He is a true team player and a clubhouse difference-maker for 2010.

Honorary Mentions – Carlos Beltran and John Maine

Carlos Beltran and John Maine deserve kudos this year not for on-field accomplishments but for gutting it out through their injuries. The fact that both came back for the final weeks of September in a losing, meaningless season speaks volumes about their character as players. Most players these days would have just mailed it in and collected their paychecks until spring training. Here’s hoping both Beltran and Maine remain healthy and can play significant roles in the Mets’ 2010 comeback.

Howard, Hamels Heating Up at the Right Time

2009-09-21T12:27:00.010-04:00

By Chris Pollay

In order for the Philadelphia Phillies to advance far in the postseason this year, a lot of players are going to have to play well. However, I am still clinging to a little hope that the team can repeat because the team’s two key players are heating up just as the season is winding down.

Both Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels are capable of lifting the entire team on their shoulders and carrying them for significant stretches.

Of course, Hamels did precisely that for much of the playoff run during the 2008 championship season. He was 4-0 in five starts. Pitching an average of seven innings per start, his ERA was a phenomenal 1.80 for the entire postseason.

While Cole has struggled quite a bit in 2009 (10-9 record with a 4.07 ERA), he has proven to still be the Phillies’ workhorse. So far he has racked up more innings pitched (177) than any other starter on the club. He also leads the teams in strikeouts with 157.

The most exciting statistics, however, are the ones from Hamels' last five starts (since Aug. 26). In that time, he has elevated his game considerably. Not only has he has won three of his last four decisions, he has only given up 6 earned runs in his last 37.2 innings pitched (1.45 ERA).

He is back in control of his pitches and his changeup, in particular, has been downright merciless. As a result, he has been lasting longer in his starts, which is a very good sign. His World Series MVP hangover seems to be over and I believe he’s ready to take the mound as the bonafide ace of the team come next month.

While Hamels leads the team defensively, there is no question who the offensive leader of the team is The Big Man Ryan Howard. He has been a machine throughout his short career. In the past three seasons, he has racked up home runs at a staggering pace: 58 in 2006, 47 in 2007, and 48 in 2008.

So far this season, he has 41, and if the series against the Atlanta Braves this past weekend is any indication, he’s going to end the season on a tear. His three home runs and five RBIs helped the team win two of three crucial games.

Overall this season, Ryan is batting 20 points higher than last season (.271 vs. .251) and his OPS (On Base Plus Slugging Percentage) is higher: .917 vs. .881.

He also has obtained numerous career highs this season, including: most steals (7); most doubles (34); and has tied for most triples (4) even though the Phillies still have 14 more games to play.

With Howard and Hamels peaking at the right time, the team looks to be in pretty good shape. Their magic number is down to six and they’ve won 10 of their last 13 games.

I suppose I could focus more on some of the team’s weaknesses and trouble spots (and the team certainly has its share of both), but I prefer to take the positive approach as the postseason approaches.

And, of course, with Cole Hamels on the mound and Ryan Howard in the batter’s box, there certainly is a lot to feel positive about if you’re a Phillies’ fan.

Nationals vs. Americans

2009-09-18T17:05:00.004-04:00

No matter what your favorite baseball team is, or what league you may follow, everyone has his or her own opinion of the “other guys”. Tension between the National League and American League has risen over the last few years, but the rivalry has never failed to attend. Whether it is the controversial mid-season interleague play, the All-Star game, or the World Series, both leagues continually try to prove why they are superior. So who wins? That decision is up to you, but here are some pivotal reasons why I believe that the American League is far better, without question.

The best way to determine which league is better is probably the most obvious, head-to-head matchups. Just consider the last 13 midsummer classics. The National League hasn’t won an All-Star Game since 1996, which ironically was hosted by our own Philadelphia Phillies. Do the math. Though one-on-one matchups are he most efficient methods, taking a look at a few players known as “league jumpers”, might work just as well.

1. Cliff Lee; Since being traded from the Cleveland Indians to the Phillies just before the July 31st MLB trade deadline, Lee has gone 7-2 with a 2.67 ERA. Through his first five starts as a Phillie, Lee was 5-0. With the Indians in 2009, Lee went 7-9 with a 3.14 ERA If you analyze his stats with the Indians, you will see that he either stepped up his game in the second half, or performed better in the NL because it was “less competition”.

2. Matt Holliday; Before being traded to the Athletics during the offseason, Holliday was a stud playing leftfield for the Rockies, helping them clinch the National League Pennant in 2007. In 2009 with the Athletics, Holliday was hitting .286, with 11 homeruns, and 54 RBIs. After being traded to the Cardinals to back up “King Albert” during the deadline, Holliday was hitting an astonishing .358, with 12 homeruns, and 48 RBI’s. Was it coincidence that he underperformed in the American League, or is the pitching just “easier” in the National League?

3. Brad Penny; After the Red Sox released the failed experiment of Brad Penny, the surprising team of the year, the Giants, decided to pick him up as a free agent and they signed him to a minor league contract. After having an ERA above five and losing eight games with the Sox, Penny has pitched magnificently with the Giants providing three wins in as many starts and a 1.64 ERA in 22 innings pitched. Either the change of scenery helped Penny return to form, or the National League hitters aren’t as fierce as the AL. The way this has been going, I would put money on the second option.

So what do I conclude? Well, the American League has dominated the National League in All-Star Games and Interleague play, and almost every player making the Al to NL transition seems to have gotten “coincidentally” better, and… Ok, I will just bluntly state it and you can quote me, “The American League is far BETTER than the National League.”

Pedro Martinez: Just Another Gem for the Phils

2009-09-18T16:58:00.002-04:00

Pedro Marinez was acquired by the Phillies on July 14th of this season amongst quite a bit of controversy. When he was activated on August 12th, after a few rehab performances, it meant that fan favorite Jamie Moyer was being moved to the bullpen. Moyer, as well as many fans (myself included), voiced his opinion that he was not happy about the decision to move him from the rotation. As it turns out, the move might have been one of the best decisions the Phils have made this season. In 2009 Pedro Martinez is 5 and 0 with a 2.87 earned run average in seven starts. Recently, he has turned in a few performances that any pitcher in his prime would be happy about, let alone a guy like Pedro who is thirty-seven and was, by many accounts, washed up and finished only a year ago.

Pedro’s most recent performance this past Sunday in game two of a day-night doubleheader against heated rivals, and Martinez’s former mates, the New York Mets was a thing of beauty. Even the national broadcasters were excited over what was happening. All Pedro did was go eight innings of shutout baseball while giving up a mere six hits, walking only two batters and striking out seven. This certainly does not seem like a guy who is “washed up”.

That performance against the Mets was a bit like watching vintage Pedro Martinez in the sense that every time the commentators, crowd and viewers at home thought that Pedro was done and had pitched his last inning, he was sent back out to the mound for another one. Even when Phils’ manager Charlie Manuel came to the mound with two outs in the eighth and a man on second, Pedro somehow convinced Charlie to leave him in for one more batter. Charlie did just that. By now, most of us know what happened.

The point is simply that Pedro Martinez appears to be far from finished and the Phillies appear to have pulled another gem out of their back pockets. While many, including myself, may have been against moving Moyer into the bullpen in exchange for the then unproven Pedro Martinez, we are all praising this move now as Martinez has pitched more like a number two or even possibly a number one starter than the number five that he replaced. Even Moyer must be at least a little bit happy with the improvements on his team. Let’s just hope that we haven’t seen the last of Martinez’s magic and that he can continue it down the stretch and throughout October.
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Chan Ho Park Injury Hurts Phillies Bullpen

2009-09-17T22:23:00.002-04:00

When Chan Ho Park grabbed the back of his leg after throwing the final pitch of the 7th inning last night in Philadelphia, there was nothing we could do but hope like hell that Chopper (yeah, I don't know about the nickname either, but take it up with Mick Billmeyer) would be okay. Instead, Park became yet another question mark in a bullpen full of them.

Since making his final disastrous start on May 17th in Washington, Park has probably been the most reliable relief pitcher the Phillies have had. In 50 innings out of the bullpen, Chan Ho has posted a 2.52 ERA, with a .231 BAA and a 52/16 K/BB ratio. If needed, he can go 2-3 innings, lock down the 7th or 8th inning of a tight ballgame, or even enter the game in a strikeout situation if the need arises. His versatility and reliability have been big reasons for his team's success this season. And now it remains to be seen whether he will pitch again for the Phillies this year.

Preliminary indications are that Park will miss 2-3 weeks with his injured hamstring, which means the Phillies will not have a lot of time to figure out whether he will be healthy enough to be added to the playoff roster. The Phillies already have health question marks in Clay Condrey, JC Romero, and Scott Eyre, and one big fat effectiveness question mark with Brad Lidge. The good news is that Philadelphia has enough depth to cover for some of those losses, but not all of them. It appears that Brad Lidge is going to be the closer no matter what. Ryan Madson has not been all that impressive in the 9th inning, so he will return to his 8th inning role. Charlie Manuel doesn't seem particularly interested in giving Brett Myers a shot to be the closer, and he could potentially fill Park's multiple inning/set up role, but he is an injury/effectiveness question as well. With Eyre and Romero likely having to pitch through pain for the rest of the season, the Phillies also lack a reliable lefty, though JA Happ could be an option in that role if the Phillies decide that Pedro Martinez is pitching well enough to be a playoff starter.

But for all the issues the Phillies face as they try to piece together a bullpen for the playoffs, the possible loss of Chan Ho Park hurts the most. One would have to think the Philadelphia starting staff, pitching as well as it has been lately, would be able to go deep enough into games that the bullpen would only have to handle 2-3 innings a night in order for the Phillies to win. Park is important because he can reliably come into big spots and get outs on a consistent basis. If he is gone, who else can you trust? Myers? Madson? Lidge? Tyler Walker? It will be interesting to see how some of these issues play out as October draws closer. But if the Phillies can ask the stars for just one of their relief question marks to be healthy and effective in the postseason, they might want to put in a request for Chopper.

The long, dirty end of a too-short season

2009-09-16T15:33:00.004-04:00

The long, dirty end of a too-short season has come to Metland. By any account, it's just not pretty. It's hard to watch a game and find ways to distinguish what's going on now from what should have gone on during Spring training. Half the players are newer than the new players who came to replace the half that became injured. They're auditioning for next season while the other, kinda healthy half appear that they couldn't care less about ending strong or being spoilers to the teams that have so gleefully filled that role toward them during past seasons. And since the tone is set at the top, I can't help but think there's more to it than they just can't compete with the big boys.At the All-Star break, Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya held the mutual hallucination that the cavalry would come to Citi Field in the form of healed starters to save the day. Last I checked, that wasn't exactly true, and if the Mets were a bank, subpoenas might be flying out of DA Andrew Cuomo's office faster than relievers running out of the bullpen. Of the season's starting lineup, Wright, Beltran (kinda, sorta), Schneider, and Castillo are sometimes on the field. Those are our big boys at this stage of the game. The little boys have been filling in everywhere else, and I understand that maybe they shouldn't be expected to fill big shoes. But another part of me asks "Why not?" Isn't the point of being a minor league player that you'll have your shot to show what you're made of and - no pun intended - step up to the plate and show what you're made of? If that's the case, those who've been screaming that the core of the team should be demolished should instead change their chant to "bomb the minors." There is obviously virtually no depth (I saw a depth chart recently that barely had more than 9 names on it) and there's no potential for depth within the organization if those little guys are the ones to be relied upon. Which now begs the question: Wait till next year...for what? As I've stated here before, the "healthy" team that took the field to start this season didn't look like a contender. At best, my estimation was that they might end up in third place in their division. So now, from fourth place, has there been such a demise and can it really all be blamed on injuries? The team on the field has no heart and has no life, and it hasn't since long before this season became officially dead. If the top is where the tone is set, then the top needs to change, as well as the bottom. The core has talent, but it'll take some new magicians to bring them out of the bottom of an already strength-challenged division. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy the off-season, try not to get too excited when pitchers and catchers report for training, and place a plaque over my desk, next to the caught foul ball, that says what the realist in me knows is the real truth: "Wait till...whenever."

Mets vs. Phils - Rambling Comments and Observations

2009-09-15T17:39:00.003-04:00

This past weekend’s series against the Phillies was the cherry on the sundae for this horrific Mets season. Not only were they mathematically eliminated with Sunday night’s double-header loss, but the fatal blow was struck by none other than their former comrade, Pedro Martinez. Yes, that would be the same Pedro who was hurt the majority of the 2007 and 2008 seasons yet would not consider accepting less money from the Mets to return in 2009. The same Pedro who then took less money to go pitch midseason for our arch rivals, The Phils. How’s that for irony?

Oddly, I bear no ill-will towards Mr. Martinez. Baseball is a business and frankly, even if he had been willing to accept less money from the Mets earlier in the season, I don’t think the Mets were that interested. The truth of the matter is, with all of the injuries, even if Pedro had signed with us earlier on, I doubt his presence would have changed anything in this wretched season. And the way karma works; he probably would have gotten injured already somehow!

Pedro aside, however, the thing I find most interesting about this weekend’s Mets / Phils series was that going into it, most Mets fans expected our shell of a team to get drubbed soundly. But the truth is, they were in every game and made things pretty competitive. Ok, we all knew the Mets would ultimately end up on the losing end of the majority of the games. But unlike the Marlins series, the team actually showed up for the games - especially with all of the late inning scoring. If you are a Philly fan, you have to be a little concerned that a team without many of their regulars managed to put up this much of a fight. You also have to be concerned about your bullpen, which right now looks horrendous.

Now, I’m definitely not suggesting that the Phillies’ bullpen woes will lead to them losing the division a la the Mets of 2007 and 2008. It takes a special bunch to do what the Mets did the previous two years when they blew respective 7 and 3.5 game leads in the NL East with 17 games left on the season. But the circumstances right now for the Phils are eerily similar to those of the Mets of 2007 and 2008.

As of today, September 15th, the Phils are 7 games up on the Marlins with 19 games left to play. Three upcoming games are against Atlanta, who still has a long-shot chance at the Wild Card berth. Even scarier is that five are against the similarly Wild Card gunning Marlins, including the three that end the season. In 2007 and 2008 the Marlins were the final nails in the coffin for the Mets during their fateful season-ending matchups. Adding to the similarities are the bullpen woes of the 2007-2008 Mets and the 2009 Phils.

The fat lady has sung and has been escorted offstage for the Mets in 2009. But could she be headed to Philly for an encore performance? As a Mets fan, I don’t know. To me, bullpen woes aside, the Phillies have insane offense, play good defense, have good starting pitching and play with heart. These are factors that the Mets definitely did not get at all in 2009 or at the end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Truly good teams stop bad streaks from picking up too much momentum and spiraling out of control. The Mets weren’t good enough to stop the snowball effect. The Phils have 19 games left to prove they are by figuring out a solution with that bullpen. Otherwise, these last 19 games are going to be the most painful Philly fans will ever experience. Trust me on this. Been there, done this twice and it isn’t remotely fun.

Phillies vs. Mets: Final Round in 2009

2009-09-14T12:12:00.008-04:00

by Chris Pollay

All in all, it was a decent (yet disappointing) week for the Philadelphia Phillies. They were 5-3 since last Monday, but considering they were mostly playing the Washington Nationals and the New York Mets (who are a combined 113-174 right now), that isn’t too much to write home about.

Add in the fact that they have been 7-7 for the month of September and they continually give up tons of runs late in games, then you have a prescription for a collective upset stomach for die-hard fans.

I know there are only 20 regular season games left, and that this Phillies’ team has a 6 1/2 game lead in the NL East, but I feel no confidence in them whatsoever. That’s probably because the Phils have made a habit of blowing leads all season, so why should the playoff run be any different?

Let’s break down some of the numbers of the close four-games series that featured the Mets winning once by one run and the Phillies winning three times by only four total runs.

THE PHILS SCORED EARLY

Philadelphia scored 19 runs in the four-game series, and nine of them were in the first, second and third innings. For the most part, Philly came out hot and broke open early leads. Great. Fantastic. That’s all you can ask from your team, except...

THE METS SCORED LATE

I realize Philly won three of four games, but it could have easily gone much differently. Philly could likely have swept, just as the Mets could have won all four, as well. After all, the Philadelphia bullpen indeed seems allergic to scoreless innings a majority of the time.

The Mets scored 16 runs in the four games, and 12 of them were during the seventh, eighth and ninth innings.

Let’s look at the difference between the starters and the bullpen from Philadelphia for the series.

THE STARTERS ROCKED

Pitching a total of 29 innings (of a possible 36), the starters were pretty damn solid overall with a 2.48 ERA. That kind of performance should lead to a sweep. Of course, it didn’t because...

THE BULLPEN GOT ROCKED

The relief pitchers for Philly gave up more earned runs (8) than total innings pitched (7). That translates to an abominable ERA of 10.29. The Mets scored in the ninth inning during three of the four games. Those gawdy numbers suggest that the Phils were very lucky to come away with three wins.

The Lidge/Madson/Meyers Three-Headed Closer Monster Experiment is simply not working and if it doesn’t get resolved in three weeks, then whoever faces Philadelphia in the first round will be extremely confident even if they find themselves down by a couple of runs in the ninth inning.

This team is too good to go down unceremoniously in the first round, but Philly has had all season long to rectify the problem and it’s only gotten worse. (By the way, the answer is simple: Madson in the eight and Meyers in the ninth.)

In the meantime, looks like Philadelphia fans should buy antacids in bulk because the playoffs will feel ten times worse than this Phils-Mets series that left many fans riddled with anxiety until the final out.

BONUS EXTRA NOTE:

The Phillies ended the 2009 season series against the Mets by winning 12 of 18 games. There were definitely some classics, but I think one of the oddest games of the year was Saturday’s 10 to 9 Mets’ win.

During that game, at least one run was scored by at least one of the two teams in every inning but the fifth.

Overall, both teams gave up more runs in that game than the other three games in the weekend series combined.

The Phillies would certainly like to forget that fiasco considering they gave up 15 hits and 10 runs (five of which were in the final two innings for a dramatic come-from-behind by the New York David Wrights.... er, I mean Mets.)

Another oddity of the game is that the Phils did not walk a single batter, nor did they strike any Mets’ player out. When was the last time you recall seeing that happening?

Ninth inning is still a problem

2009-09-13T13:09:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel saw another bullpen disaster unfold in front of his eyes. Ryan Madson, the Phils newly appointed closer, blew his sixth save opportunity of the season when he gave up a 2-run bomb to Mets third baseman David Wright, and the Phillies lost 10-9. Madson’s latest miscue came just days after being labeled the team’s new closer for the time being.

Madson, of course, was replacing former Phillies closer Brad Lidge, who has had question marks surrounding him all season. Lidge lost his role after he almost blew his 11th save opportunity of the season in Washington on Tuesday, but luckily Madson came in to save the day. Madson was then trotted out on Wednesday to close out the Nats again and was successful in doing so. He also succeeded in saving the game against the Mets on Friday. Then Saturday happened when the Mets scored five runs on the Phillies bullpen, three runs against Brett Myers and two runs against Ryan Madson.

If I am Charlie Manuel, I only have two options: make Brett Myers the closer or pray for a Brad Lidge miracle. The Ryan Madson experiment is cute and all, but he’s blown almost as many saves as Brad Lidge in not nearly as many chances. Don’t get me wrong, Madson’s stuff looks good at times, but he makes too many costly mistakes, and I just don’t think he has what it takes mentally to do the job.

That being said, I don’t think Brad Lidge has the mental makeup this year to get the job done either. Last year, teams were scared to face a confident Lidge; this year, they salivate at the opportunity to bat against the Phillies shaken closer. Maybe a couple weeks off from closing out games will give Lidge enough mental rest to get his act together.

In the meantime, I think Charlie needs to hand the ball off to Brett Myers in the ninth. He was the team’s closer in 2007 when the Phillies won the division, so he is familiar with the role. Myers loves being in the spotlight and is also hoping to show this team what he can still do, especially since this is the last year of his contract.

Whatever Charlie decides to do, he needs to do it fast. The clock is winding down on the 2009 season, and there isn’t much time left to keep playing “Musical Closers.”

Charlie The Procrastinator

2009-09-11T17:18:00.001-04:00

The Phillies’ recent struggles, which if not turned around soon may spell out an early exit in the 2009 postseason, if they don’t relinquish their now five and a half game lead in the division first, appear to be many from the embarrassing offense to the throw of the dice starting rotation and the weakened bullpen but the biggest problem all year has been Brad Lidge’s inability to close out games and it has not gotten better. The Phillies’ recent struggles, which if not turned around soon may spell out an early exit in the 2009 postseason, if they don’t relinquish their now five and a half game lead in the division first, appear to be many from the embarrassing offense to the throw of the dice starting rotation and the weakened bullpen but the biggest problem all year has been Brad Lidge’s inability to close out games and it has not gotten better.

Everyone knows about Lidge’s perfect 2008 season. In 2009, however, he has become arguably the worst closer in baseball. If not for his ten, count them, ten blown saves at this point in the season the Phils would be in much better shape to lose a few as they are doing now. Almost every closer will blow a few save opportunities each year, but even if Lidge converted five of those ten that he has blown, the team would have eighty-four wins right now, as opposed to seventy-nine and a more comfortable lead in the division.

Phils manager Charlie Manuel has stuck by Lidge all season long with his “He’s my closer” moniker, but how much confidence could Charlie possibly be instilling in his closer if he keeps letting him blow save after save? In fact, it’s possible that the World Series Champion manager is doing more harm than good. Just watch Lidge’s body language when he’s on the mound and his extremely heavy breathing. This is not a sign of a guy who is confident. In fact, he looks terrified.

Charlie Manuel wanted to stick by Lidge after what he did for him, the team and the city last season and that is very respectable. There has to come a time, however, when last year is over and new adjustments are made to win games this year. “He’s my closer,” he says. Well, then guess what Charlie? If he’s your closer come October, you’ll be sitting at home on the couch after a few games and watching the World Series on TV.

Over the past few nights, Charlie Manuel has been more willing to use others, such as Ryan Madson, to close out games. Manuel has stated that at this point he’ll have to play the match-ups and do what’s best for the team rather than simply let Lidge blow game after game. One has to wonder, however, if this isn’t something they should have sorted out two months ago when Lidge was clearly not up for being the closer this year. Perhaps experimenting with a few different guys to close out games in July would have left the team a bit more prepared in September and October. Hopefully Charlie’s procrastination doesn’t turn into a disaster.

Mets vs. Phils... 2009 Did You Know? Edition

2009-09-11T13:12:00.003-04:00

By Chris Pollay

As the New York Mets head to Philadelphia to play the Phillies in their final four games against each other this season, I thought it would be interesting to take a quick look back at the rivalry between the two clubs during the 14 games they've played against each other in 2009.

Did you know that the Mets won a game this season over the Phillies without scoring a single earned run?

On May 6, the Mets won 1 to 0 thanks to a throwing error by Phillies' third baseman Pedro Feliz.

Did you know that each team has only scored one total run in the ninth inning in all 14 games of the series?

The Mets scored their one ninth-inning run on August 23 in a 9 to 7 losing cause; the Phils tacked on an insurance run the next day in the ninth inning during a 6 to 2 victory.

Did you know that, in 2009, Chase Utley has hit the most home runs in the two-team rivalry with six?

Two of them on back-t0-back games (June 9 and June 10) turned out to be tie-breaking game-winners for the Phillies.

Did you know that only two Mets pitchers have earned all five of their victories this season against the Phils?

Mike Pelfrey has the Phils' number with three wins; Johan Santana has notched two.

Did you know that nine different Philadelphia pitchers have earned the team's nine victories during the first 14 games of their rivalry with the Mets?

The bullpen has recorded three victories while starters Cliff Lee, Rodrigo Lopez, Jamie Moyer, Joe Blanton, J.A. Happ and Pedro Martinez have all earned one win a piece.

Did you know that Eric Bruntlett's unassisted triple play (ending the game and preserving the win on August 23) was the second unassisted triple play by the Phillies in franchise history?

Mickey Morandini (2B) recorded one on Sept. 20, 1992

Did you know there have been three extra inning games between the Mets and the Phillies this season?

All three were won by the Phils: 6 to 5 (10 inning) on May 2; 5 to 4 (11 innings) on June 10; and 6 to 3 (10 innings) on June 11.

Breakdown of the 2009 numbers:

Total Wins:

Phillies: 9; Mets: 5

Total Hits:

Phillies: 115; Mets: 122

Total Batting Average:

Phillies: .241; Mets: .262

Total Runs:

Phillies: 65; Mets: 50

Total Home Runs:

Phillies: 19; Mets: 12.

Looking back on tomorrow

2009-09-10T20:52:00.000-04:00

As the news in New York centers around the Bronx rather than Queens, you need not be a Yankee fan to recognize the unique talent of Derek Jeter. As the history books are rewritten, Jeter’s name will rest beside those of Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, and Berra.

Last night, Jeter tied Lou Gehrig for most hits by a Yankee. His place in the Hall of Fame is secure, his fingers adorned by multiple championship rings. As a Bronx boy of failed borough allegiance, I have to wonder: Is there a Jeter of tomorrow on the Mets today?

Looking through the “core” of the team, the initial reaction would be to attempt to find parallels between Jeter and Wright. Both third basemen, both consistent All-Stars, both defensive standouts. But there is a stratosphere beyond that where Jeter seems to pale Wright, and it is one of internal substance rather than external capabilities. A confidence and maturity that exists in Jeter sorely lacks in Wright. Jeter leads by example, Wright seems to lead by default, if he leads at all. He has assumed the role of the face and name of the franchise, but he isn’t yet a player who would be considered “The Franchise.” Maybe time will be kind to Wright in this respect, but only time will tell.

All the talent in the world may live within Jose Reyes, but he will never be a Derek Jeter. Sulking, brooding, childish and undisciplined, his statistics will always be impressive but his presence as a leader may never blossom. Again, only time will tell.

Carlos Beltran will always be known as one of the premier fielders in baseball, but his independence is well chronicled. However his career progresses, he has already demonstrated his inability or unwillingness to fill the Jeter role on the team.

The only star currently on the Mets who would appear to possess the mettle to be an example on the field, a consistent player, and a true leader would be Johan Santana. Unfortunately, it’s difficult for a every fifth-day player to assume the role of daily leader. Santana is a baseball great, probably one of the top 5 pitchers in the game today, but he simply isn’t positioned to be the daily Jeter.

Looking toward the future, the likes of Murphy, Thole, Pagan, all show promise as team players. All show heart, all show capability, all show drive and determination. None show Jeter – yet. Certainly, this week has shown that none can light the spark to make this team – one with a broken, troubled, lost season – realize their greatest moments of the season could be realized if they would push the extra weight to try to take on the role of spoiler. That’s one spark Jeter has rarely had to be, let alone witness.

Beltran's Back, But Where's Jose?

2009-09-08T10:57:00.004-04:00

After missing more than two months with a bone bruise, Carlos Beltran will supposedly make his return to Citi Field tonight in the opener of the Mets series against the Marlins. When Beltran went down in June, this marked the beginning of the downward spiral of the Mets’ 2009 season. At the time, the team was coping fairly well with the absence of Delgado and Reyes, but Beltran was on fire during April and May. With him in the lineup it almost looked as if the Mets could hang on without their regular shortstop and first baseman. Before Beltran went on the DL, the Mets had a 35 and 32 record. Since then, they have gone 27 and 42. Now granted, many other injuries have come into play since Beltran went down, but in my mind, losing the second Carlos was the straw that broke the camel’s back for this season.

Considering the ridiculous amount of injuries that have befallen this team, I look at Beltran’s return to the lineup with some trepidation. With less than a month to go in a lost season, I’m not convinced his return is the wisest move, even though the bone bruise is improving. The way the chips have fallen for the Mets this year, my fear is that the bruise will get worse by playing, the team will wait the winter to see improvement and when they don’t, Beltran will have surgery that ruins the 2010 season as well. Let’s face it; the Mets’ medical staff’s track record is pretty tarnished right now. Getting another thing wrong would just be par for the course.

But with all of this being said, I definitely commend Beltran’s effort and desire to come back and play again in 2009 - even if only for a few weeks. It takes guts, heart and commitment to do this. Many players would have just shut it down and waited for 2010. Instead, Beltran stepped up, showed leadership and did the right thing. Perhaps Jose Reyes can learn something from all of this because the silence on his part is inexcusable. The fact that Aaron Boone returned to the Astros roster after open heart surgery before Jose could return from his hamstring injury is preposterous. It makes you wonder if this is the fault of the Mets medical staff with another misdiagnosis or just the case of Jose being Jose. Somehow, I think it’s a little of both.

The Washington Nationals Effect

2009-09-07T07:50:00.003-04:00

By Chris Pollay

There is nothing like playing in the same division as the worst team in baseball. In fact, playing such a team 18 or 19 times throughout the season can unquestionably be the difference between playing above .500 and playing below .500.

That has largely been the case for the top three teams in the National League East. Right now, the Philadelphia Phillies are 77-57 and leading the NL East by 6 1/2 games. A large reason for this is the team's record against the Washington Nationals. They are 10-2 against them so far this season. If you take that away from their cumulative record, guess what? They become only a 67-55 team and are likely battling for their lives for a Wildcard playoff spot.

The Florida Marlins, second in the division currently with a 72-65 record, are 11-4 against the Washington Not-ionals. (In fact, they were 9-0 at one point, but have inexplicably lost four of the last six games against them.) Regardless, the Marlins would only be a .500 ballclub (61-61) without their 15 games against Washington.

The Atlanta Braves are in the same boat. If you take away their eleven contests against Washington this year, their cumulative record become 63-63. Instead, thanks to winning seven of eleven against the Nationals, the Braves boast a 70-67 record and are 8.5 games behind division leading Philly... a deep hole, to be sure, but they still have an outside shot.

While the New York Mets are pretty much completely out of the playoff picture and nobody is impressed by their 62-75 record, the team would be much, much worse if they had not played Washington twelve times (winning eight). Their record is 54-71 without those games factored in. Yikes.

Perhaps the best way to illustrate just how truly bad and inept Washington has been (and how good that badness has been for the rest of the division), is to look at the team's overall record: 47-90. That is a deplorable .343 winning percentage. At the current rate, the team will only win 56 wins in the 2009 season.

The Nats are somehow even worse against teams in their own division. They are 14-36 against the National League East, or .280! If you apply that winning percentage for a full 162-game season, the team only comes up with 45 wins (which is less than they have right now). Double yikes!

Oddly enough, the Nationals might continue to be a crucial factor in determining the playoff picture for the three remaining National League East contenders: Philadelphia, Florida and Atlanta.

Since Friday, Florida was able to gain two games on the Phillies (who seemed to discover their own personal kryptonite in the form of the Houston Astros), and it could easily have been three.

True, Brad Lidge blew his tenth save of the season on Saturday and yesterday's game was quite winnable for the Phils, but Florida was able to inch considerably closer towards the NL East title mostly because they played the Nationals in their weekend series.

The Marlins should have swept them. If not for a stunning comeback by the Nationals on Sunday (scoring three runs off two homers in the bottom of the ninth), they would have. It is precisely those type of games (i.e. against an opponent as hapless as the Nats) that teams need to win if they want to walk away with a division crown.

Now, Florida only gets to play Washington three more times in 2009. Meanwhile, the Braves will play them seven more times and the Phils will play them six more times. Those contests should easily translate to five or more wins for both of those teams in the remaining stretch run.

Contending teams simply cannot afford to let such golden opportunities slip through their fingers this late in the season.

Billy Wagner - who wins, who loses?

2009-09-06T09:17:00.008-04:00

Over the past few seasons, Billy Wagner has caused some controversy. Leaving the Philadelphia Phillies, with some harsh words, for the New York Mets. Continuing to spew his opinions once with the Mets and then coming back from being out almost a year recovering from Tommy John surgery to, after some wavering, waving his no trade clause and ending up on the Boston Red Sox as a relief pitcher. It was an interesting move by the Mets considering that in two appearances Wagner struck out four with a fast ball that topped 96 miles per hour and all they received for Wagner was two players to be named later.

Wagner was replaced as the Mets closer with the acquisition of Fransisco Rodriguez, arguably one of the best closers in the majors. Wagner has made it known that he wants to be a closer and is looking to break John Franco's record of the most saves thrown by a left handed pitcher. Yet, just before the deadline, he waves his no trade clause to be a set up man for Jonathan Papelbon. It seems as though Wagner has, for the time being, traded his pursuit of breaking Franco's record for a shot at a championship.

I can't say I blame the guy for wanting to win but he's 38 years old and is still recovering from a fairly major surgery. He has a shot at a ring with the Sox but not much of a chance at the record. And what happens next year? Will the Sox keep him? Surer he may get a couple of chances at a save if Papelbon pitches too many days in a row, but certainly not enough to satisfy him. Does he hope a competitive team picks him up so he can work towards the record? He's got a great arm but he comes with baggage, not that many players at this point don't, but realistically, does he have a shot at Franco's record?

I'm saying no. I don't think he can hold on long enough to break it and part of me doesn't want him to. As a life-long Met fan, I don't want a wishy-washy guy like Wagner breaking the record of a guy I cursed regularly as a kid. What do you think? Can he do it? Do you want him to? And can someone explain to me the purpose of receiving players to be names later? Does it even matter at this point?

As Cole Hamels Turns...

2009-09-04T21:53:00.002-04:00

As the Major League Baseball regular season winds down, the Philadelphia Phillies are reaping the benefits of recently awakened Cole Hamels. Hamels, who has been mediocre at best this season has turned in two recent starts that would even make fellow lefty and former Phillies legend Steve Carlton applaud. This recent resurgence by Hamels has the Phillies and their fans wondering if the former staff ace has really turned things around and returned to his dominant ways. As the Major League Baseball regular season winds down, the Philadelphia Phillies are reaping the benefits of recently awakened Cole Hamels. Hamels, who has been mediocre at best this season has turned in two recent starts that would even make fellow lefty and former Phillies legend Steve Carlton applaud. This recent resurgence by Hamels has the Phillies and their fans wondering if the former staff ace has really turned things around and returned to his dominant ways.

About a week and a half ago, Cole Hamels shut down the Pirates to the tune of eight innings of shut out baseball, while being rewarded with a no decision as his bullpen wasted another good outing by a Phillies starter. For an encore, all Hamels did was leave the San Francisco Giants dumbfounded in pitching a two hit, complete game shut out in his next outing which left many people salivating at the possibility of having two dominant aces at the top of the rotation in fellow left-hander Cliff Lee and Hamels himself.

While taking absolutely nothing away from Hamels’ two recent gems, it must be noted that prior to them, he was having a year to forget. Coming into the game against Pittsburgh on August 26th, Hamels had amassed a measly seven wins and eight losses to go with a brutal 4.78 earned run average. He may have hit a stroke of luck, however, in catching two poor offensive teams in a row to build his confidence a bit.

The Giants, while contending for a Wildcard Title, have one of the worst offenses in all of baseball and rank fifteenth out of sixteen teams in the National League in runs scored. For a pitcher like Cole Hamels, this should be, as it was, a dominant performance. The Pirates on the other hand are ranked thirteenth out of sixteen in runs scored in the N.L. and are arguably worse than the Giants’ offense based on the fact that their team batting average is four points lower. Again, a pitcher like Hamels should dominate a team this.

While it remains to be seen whether or not Cole Hamels can pitch effectively against a better offensive ball club, like say Colorado or the Dodgers, one thing is for sure, if Cole Hamels has finally figured things out and turned his season around, it can only mean good things for the Phillies, especially since Cliff Lee is coming back down to Earth. While pulling pretty far ahead of the pack in the N.L. East with their young ace struggling all season long, it could turn into a pretty lopsided season over the final month and into the playoffs if Cole Hamels has returned to being an elite pitcher in baseball. The Phillies certainly hope that this is the case.

A Look at the Phillies' Potential Playoff Opponents

2009-09-03T18:55:00.003-04:00

After taking 2 out of 3 games in their most recent series against the San Francisco Giants, the Philadelphia Phillies sit 8.5 games ahead of the Braves and Marlins in the NL East. At the risk of looking foolish by this time next month, I'm calling the division for the Phillies. I'm doing this so we can get ahead of ourselves and take a look at some of the opponents they will have to face on their way to a second consecutive World Series. Now that both the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline and the August 31st deadline for playoff roster eligibility have come and gone, we have a pretty good idea what the rosters of contenders will look like come playoff time. So lets take a look at some of the teams the Phillies will have to face in October, and how they could potentially match up.

For the purposes of this exercise, I am going to assume that the Los Angeles Dodgers and the St. Louis Cardinals win their respective divisions as well, because it sure looks like they are going to. I'm also assuming that the Wild Card entrant will be either Colorado, San Francisco, Atlanta, or Florida because if a team like the Cubs comes back from the dead to make the playoffs, well...that's another column entirely. On with the show.

Los Angeles Dodgers The Dodgers currently have the best record in the National League, though they sit just a game ahead of St. Louis and 3 ahead of Philadelphia in the race for home field advantage in the playoffs. They feature a young, deep, and talented lineup lead by slugger Manny Ramirez. The bullpen is also deep, and with Jonathan Broxton and George Sherrill in the back end, they can present match up problems late in games. They recently acquired help for the rotation in Vincente Padilla and Jon Garland, and for the bench in Rafael Belliard and Jim Thome. However, all of those guys come with drawbacks. Padilla was released from Texas because he was a bad teammate. Garland is just mediocre now, though he had a good run with the White Sox in '05. Belliard and Thome are nice bats off the bench but don't play any defense, which could be a problem in extra inning situations. The real issue that I see is the top of the rotation. Kershaw, Billingsly, and Wolf are a good top three, but are they as good as the top 3 in Philly, St. Louis, or even San Francisco? LA is a very good team and will be a tough out, but they could lose some close games because they don't have the aces that other contenders do.

St. Louis Cardinals The acquisitions of Mark DeRosa, Julio Lugo, and Matt Holiday have all paid dividends for the Cardinals and perhaps elevated them to the top team in the National League. The lineup, which was once a weakness, is now a strength around likely NL MVP Albert Pujols. Their pitching rotation might be the best in baseball with Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, Kyle Lohse, and Joel Piniero. John Smoltz looks revived by his return to the National League and could be a key contributor out of the bullpen in the playoffs. They are deep and versatile off the bench. Ryan Franklin has been fantastic closing games for St. Louis, and while they have some other good arms in the bullpen, they could be vulnerable in middle relief. The problem with that is their starters go deep enough into games that middle relief might not be as much of a factor in the playoffs. If I had to pick a team to beat Philadelphia in the playoffs this year, it would be St. Louis.

Colorado Rockies. The Rockies have cooled off a bit since going on a tear that coincided with the firing of former manager Clint Hurdle and the promotion of Jim Tracy. However, they still lead the NL Wild Card race by 1 game over San Francisco. They have a good offensive club and are also very good defensively at most positions. One of the main reasons for their resurgence has been their improved pitching, but injuries to starter Aaron Cook and closer Huston Street could undermine their ability to even make the playoffs. Jason Marquis has had a very good year, and youngsters Jorge De La Rosa and Ubaldo Jimenez have pitched much better in the second half of the year. However, none of those guys really scare you in a playoff series and though Cook and Street would (presumably) be back if the Rockies qualify for the postseason, they still might not have the pitching staff to make it past the first round.

San Francisco Giants. If the Giants make the playoffs, it will be on the strength of their pitching staff. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain form as good a 1-2 punch as any in baseball and if those two pitched 3 games of a 5 game series or 4 games of a 7 game series, there could be a lot of trouble for whichever team they face. Though they won't have home field in any playoff series, they are still tough to beat in their own park. The problem is that they just can't hit. Aside from Pablo Sandoval, they don't really have anybody that strikes fear in you in a big situation. They have some good veterans in Aaron Rowand, Benji Molina, and Randy Winn who are nice complementary players, but not offensive centerpieces. They have some good arms in the bullpen, but you can get to closer Brian Wilson. Basically, if they make the playoffs, it will be because of their starting pitching. And since their pitching is good enough that they could upset a team or two in October, let's just hope the Giants don't qualify.

Atlanta Braves. The Braves would probably be more of a factor in the playoff race were in not for some injuries. Even when everyone is healthy, however, the Braves are not a good offensive team. Chipper Jones and Brian McCann are their only real offensive stars and McCann has been struggling of late. Yunel Escobar has been a disappointment for the majority of the season and all of their other regulars are platoon-caliber guys at best. The strength of the team is pitching. They added Derek Lowe, Kenshin Kawakami, and Javier Vazquez in the offseason and those guys have paid dividends. Jair Jurrjens is very good and Tim Hudson could provide a boost down the stretch. Rookie Tommy Hanson has been terrific as well. They are very versatile in the bullpen, able to match up with Rafael Soriano and Mike Gonzalez at the end of games. Unlike the Giants, who very well might win the Wild Card on the strength of their pitching alone, the Braves will need to start hitting some more if they are going to make the postseason.

Florida Marlins. The Marlins have looked like world beaters at times this season, and at others they appear to be ready to give up the ghost. It's hard to know what to make of Florida at this point, as they have dealt with some key injuries and the inconsistencies of their younger players. When healthy, this is as good an offensive ball club as any in baseball, and the addition of Nick Johnson to the 2-hole in their lineup has been huge for them. Rookie Chris Coughlan has emerged as a very good leadoff man. Josh Johnson is an ace, and while they have some very good arms on their staff, they have been largely inconsistent for most of the year. The bullpen, a perennial problem for the Marlins, is a mess again. If they can get healthy as a team relatively soon, they could get hot and make a run at the Wild Card. And if they get to the playoffs, there is enough talent on that team that they would be a very tough out.

If not victory, dignity

2009-09-03T14:59:00.006-04:00

This morning I passed a hospital and saw a frail old man struggling to get out of a hired car. His wife held his cane while he adjusted his belt. Collared shirt half out, shoes tattered, but wearing a tartan sport coat. You could tell he was on the way to a doctor’s appointment of some sort, and you could tell he was bearing through physical hardships that had taken their toll over many years, but just the coat itself hinted at his need to maintain a modicum of dignity while so much within and around him failed.

And so it is, too, for this year’s New York Mets. Carlos Beltran and David Wright spoke from the same vein when they both talked about their returns from injuries that many might have not faulted them for hanging up their 2009 cleats for. They are ball players, they get paid well to do it, they love the sport, and they want to do their jobs and compete. As Beltran said, even if it’s just a matter of being able to come back for the very last game of the season, that’s what they have to do.

The team on the field needs to adopt more of that mantra. These past many weeks in particular, the script has often been “keep it close for 6 or 7 innings, fall apart badly late, show absolutely no capability of displaying offense and die.” That needs to change as we enter this final month of regular season competition. For the past 3 seasons the Mets have been the inglorious recipients of the wrath of spoilers named Phillies, Marlins & Braves. This is the opportunity for them to repay a bit of that back to the very teams that previously so gleefully doled it out upon them. There is a level of intestinal fortitude (or maybe somewhat lower, anatomically) that needs to man up (aka: Be Johan) right about now, and become the spoiler that can go home with its chin held high. If you’re capable of staying in the game for 6 innings, the problem isn’t who you’re missing but who you have. It’s time for those who represent the blue and orange to step up to the responsibility that Wright and Beltran clearly see. Not only would it do a great bit of good toward team morale, it would probably let fans leave a horrid season feeling a bit less violated, and at least a slight bit more optimistic about the future.

Finally, within David Wright's return he's received a great deal of criticism for the choice to move forward wearing a new helmet, designed to offer greater protection and mandated for future use by minor and Little League baseball. He's received a great deal of heckling in the blogosphere and from the twitterati for it, mostly for aesthetic reasons. The helmet may not look cool, but it's a lot cooler than a coma. In the process, he's allowed vanity to give way to leadership, as he will be a valuable role model to youngsters who might otherwise think about safety as an option rather than a necessity. Yes, he may resemble the Flintstones' "Great Gazoo," but Gazoo held the fate of the universe at his fingertip. That's the kind of power the Mets could really use...

(Follow up: Wright has chosen to forego The Helmet for a standard batting helmet in today's game. Melon season has officially ended. All bets are off.)

Don't Give Up On J-Roll

2009-09-02T20:28:00.002-04:00

A couple of days ago, one of my buddies sent me a text message. As a Phillies fan, I tried to disregard his snotty little remark. “Jeter: 3 for 3!” the message said. He is a Yankees fan, so I have absolutely zero respect for him in that aspect. Of course Jeter had a great game, but my bud knows that I am all about Philly so the text was just unnecessary. The next time I saw him, we got into a heated debate about Derek Jeter and Jimmy Rollins. I am the type of fan who will back up my team and players until the day I die, so I defended Rollins.

I will admit that it definitely would have been difficult to find reasons to defend J-Roll if it were still the first half of the season. Anyone who followed baseball during the first half should obviously know that Jimmy was in as bad as a slump as any major leaguer can get in. Rollins, who can be known as a streaky hitter, arguably had the worst three months of his career. Many fans were concerned that Rollins simply forgot how to hit. Booing was a regular for Rollins in Citizens Bank Park and Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel would get questions about Rollins’ status during each post-game interview. It was bad, and it wasn’t going to go away until Rollins turned around. During the All-Star break, a tiny adjustment in his swing was all it took for Rollins to return back to his 2007 NL MVP season form. Rollins was hitting .297, with a .348 on-base percentage and a .540 slugging %. Up to August 31st. Not bad numbers for someone who couldn’t hit the side of a barn in the first half!

Rollins will make one cheer or even boo, but in the end, he can be as good as any other major league shortstop. His confidence and leadership on and off the field can match anyone, even future hall of famer Derek Jeter. And when J-Roll is on, he is on FIRE. Hopefully Rollins will be able to keep it up and carry the Phillies through the post-season and lead them to another championship. Until then, please just promise me one thing; don’t ever give up on J-Roll.

I Just Had to Post These

2009-09-02T13:25:00.004-04:00

Not my day to post but I couldn't resist. Look at the resemblence Wright and Victorino share with The Great Gazoo!

Adopting a Surrogate Team for the Post Season

2009-09-01T17:57:00.001-04:00

With September now upon us and the Mets’ post-season aspirations all but down the drain, I feel an odd sense of relief in many ways that I will not feel the end of season stress and disappointment that 2007 and 2008 wrought. I have had most of July and all of August to mourn the Mets and now I’m ready to adopt a surrogate team and sit back and watch the Wild Card dogfight in the National and American Leagues.

Traditionally, my top-tier adopted team is always the Red Sox. I can identify with this team because much like the Mets, they historically have been an underdog, and they are usually victimized by the hated Yankees in one way or another. But the truth of the matter is, since winning two World Series the Sox have lost a bit of charm for me. Maybe it is because the Mets haven’t won squat that I am losing my sense of kinship with the formerly beleaguered Sox Nation, but more and more I have been picking true underdog teams – especially those with very low payrolls, to pull out an October miracle. Last year it was the Rays and former Met Scott Kazmir. In 2007 it was the Rockies with their miraculous end of season hot streak, This year I have a lot of good choices but I’m thinking the Texas Rangers just might be the team I’d like to see take the Wildcard. It is doubtful they would get past the Yankees to go to the World Series so let’s just take one thing at a time for now.

My reasoning behind rooting Texas on this year is because with the exception of 2004 when they finished the season 89 – 73, this team has been in or hovering near the basement of the AL West for about 10 years. Their last playoff appearance was 1999 when the won the division. They also won the division in 1996 and 1998. All three times they lost to the Yankees. Through their history they have never played in or obviously won a World Series title. Because of this, I can truly identify with this franchise. I also feel somewhat sad for their fans. It takes a strong person to continuously root for a losing team. As a Mets fan, I know this first hand, but at least the Mets gave us 1969 and 1986 and a smattering of playoff action in between.

You also have to like how the Rangers have improved their farm system over the past couple of years. Just two years ago, Baseball America, ranked the Rangers farm system 28th out of 30 teams. The publication gave the Rangers the largest bump in its history by rating it No. 4 in 2008, and this year it ranked Texas No. 1. Note to Omar Minaya and Jeff Wilpon…maybe take some cues on how this is done and get cracking on a similar plan for the Mets.

Every year one or two teams surprise me by rising out of the ashes to be competitive. While the Rangers have some ground to make up in chasing the Red sox for the Wildcard, I get the impression that the young talent on this team is confident in their abilities like the Rays were last year. The Red Sox, on the other hand, seem to be a little older, a little more beaten up and definitely more mortal than in their championship years. It should be an interesting ride through September to watch these two teams duke it out with Tampa for a playoff slot. And the best part for me is, after a summer of turmoil in Mets land, I can just sit back, relax and take it all in on the sidelines as I wait for spring training 2010.

One Month to Go

2009-08-31T17:05:00.006-04:00

by Chris Pollay

After today's much-needed day off, the Philadelphia Phillies will head into September with a nice comfortable lead in the race for the National League East title.

Regardless of who wins today's matchup between the Florida Marlins and the Atlanta Braves, Philly will start the final month of the 2009 regular season with a 7 1/2 game lead with 34 games left to play.

The schedule is divided up evenly with 17 home games and 17 road games. However, it'd probably be better news if the Phils had a lot more road games left as they still boast the best road record in MLB at 41-23.

Still, anyway you slice it, the Phils are in great shape and are highly likely to make a third consecutive postseason appearance.

Of those remaining 34 games, 22 are against opponents who are currently under .500 in the win column. In fact, the Phillies have a combined 43-28 record against their remaining opponents, which include: San Francisco (3 games); Houston (8 games); Washington (6 games); New York Mets (4 games); Atlanta (3 games); Florida (6 games); and Milwaukee (4 games).

The team continues to play solidly, winning 15 games during the month of August including 14 of their last 19. The team is hot and a lot of positive signs are popping up.

Ryan Howard has been on a tear lately. Jimmy Rollins has been swinging the bat well for a long stretch. In all, four different sluggers (Howard, Utley, Werth and Ibañez) have at least 27 homers this season. That's some serious firepower.

In fact, the team still leads the National League in numerous categories: home runs, runs, total bases, SLG and OPS. The team's hitting will keep them in almost every ball game.

So, their postseason run will probably depend a lot more on pitching. The starters are an intimidating rotation. Cliff Lee finally proved he was human with his first bad start with the team. The Braves beat him up on Saturday by garnering ten hits (including three homers) and scoring six earned runs. Lee only lasted five innings.

To put that in perspective, Lee had not given up a homer in his five previous starts (all wins) and he had never lasted less than seven innings in an outing. Even more impressive, he had given up only three earned runs altogether in his five starts prior to Saturday. After the Braves lit him up, his ERA (since joining the team) jumped from .675 to 1.8, which is still quite impressive overall.

Joe Blanton, who delivered a gutsy pitching performance on Sunday to help the Phils take the series, has been consistent for a long, long time now. He hasn't given up more than three earned runs in any of his last 12 starts.

J.A. Happ has exceeded any and all expectations. The young hurler is 10 and 3 this season with a stringent 2.63 ERA. He was 3 and 1 in August and never gave up more than three runs in any of those starts.

Those three pitchers are all pitching like aces right now, which shows how deep the starting pitching is for the Phillies. After all, the MVP of the 2008 World Series is not one of their three top options at the moment. Still, don't bet against Cole Hamels if the team makes it to the postseason. He has been shaky in August, to be sure, but I believe he will lead by example in September.

Starting pitching won't be the issue for the Phillies as the season winds down. It's all about the bullpen, which, of course, has been struggling all season long. The team seems no closer to finding a secure closer, either. Brad Lidge did manage to save the game on Sunday, but his 7.03 ERA is not going to scare any teams when the Phillies hold a late lead from here on out.

Opponents will take comfort that he has blown nine saves in 36 opportunities. That's once every four chances!

Manager Charlie Manuel has one month to go to try to fix the problem, and though the Phillies should have a lot of options to consider, they are running out of time.

The team will make the playoffs. That is almost a forgone conclusion at this point. However, how far the team can go is an absolute mystery to me. Philadelphia certainly has enough potential to win a championship, but it can just as likely be beaten in the first or second round if the bullpen can't come together in time.

Sorry Philadelphia, No Repeat

2009-08-30T10:19:00.008-04:00

As the playoffs near while the division and wild card races heat up, the World Series begins to pop up in all fans’ heads. Every fan and MLB analyst has his or her opinion on who is going to make it and win the Fall Classic, but nothing is set in stone, and the unexpected is a common theme. For the fans of Philadelphia, 2008 was one of the most memorable years in franchise history, but a repeat this year would make these two years even more memorable. If you consider how hard it is to get to the final series, especially with the much-needed luck and how the game is played today, the Phillies road to another championship will not be so easy. The Phils definitely have the talent, which they have proven over the last two seasons, but that key factor, luck, could unfortunately get in way.

After the Yankees went on their back- to- back-to-back tear from 1998-2000, there were six different World Series winners up to last year. In major league history, there have been 13 different times in which the same team won two consecutive championships. If you exclude the Yankees, the same feat has only happened seven times since the Modern era (1901-Present) began. So, keeping these statistics in mind, it’s quite rare to find a talented enough team to repeat. I am not saying it is out of the question for the Phillies, but some luck and timing will be essential for this to occur.

Luck plays a large part in winning a world series, but it only makes such a difference. Plain and simply, you need to have the tools throughout your lineup in order to succeed, and do it consistently. The Phillies may have just that, but they are not the only ones. The overpowering Yankees, consistent Angels, (who haven’t lost more than three games in a row this season) and the stacked Dodgers, are just a few of the teams in both leagues that could easily be crowned the 2009 champion. My biggest fear as a Phillies fan are those Yanks. The Yankees may have started off a bit slow, but they are without a doubt one of the best teams in baseball right now. They have a 6.5 game lead over the Boston Red Sox, (another stacked lineup) and an almost sure spot in the playoffs. One may say that the Phillies have an eight game lead over the Braves in their division. While this is true, I must admit that they are not playing in the best division in baseball; the Yankees are. Even if the Phillies do win the National League Pennant, clinching the whole thing is going to be a lot tougher than last year.

Aside from the tough competition, the required luck, and everything else it takes to win a championship, the Phillies have some major issues looming over them as they enter September and the end of the season. I won’t go into much detail for I am sure everyone has heard multiple times about them, but if they aren’t cleared up and fixed soon, I am saying it right now, the Phillies will NOT win the World Series. Brad ‘Lights Out’ Lidge isn’t too “lights out” anymore, and without a consistent and reliable closer, it makes it 10 times harder to put away a team up by one run in the ninth inning. Speaking of reliable, last year’s Cole Hamels was the ace of the staff, but this year you never know which Hamels you are going to get. Usually, it’s not the good Hamels. If the Phillies want to go deep into the postseason, they won’t be able to do this if they only rely on Cliff Lee. Now, those are the two biggest issues concerning the Phillies right now, but some other minor problems include Pedro Martinez’s consistency and Raul Ibanez’s lost stroke. With all of this said, no one can’t be surprised, for we all know that all Philadelphia teams like to play “the hard way”.

Not everything has been negative as of late. The Phillies will be able to call up some minor leaguers in September when the 25-man roster increases. Off the bench power could be provided by Michael Taylor, though it is just a possibility. The return of Brett Myers could put a final statement in the bullpen, but after a long layoff from being on the DL, who knows what he will contribute to the ballclub? Aside from players internally helping out the club, the Phillies do have a seven game lead over the Braves as of August 30, so this gives them time and flexibility to fix their problems. If it were a closer race, the patience for Brad Lidge to return to form would be at a minimum, and the City of Brotherly Love would be going frantic. Let’s all hope we never reach that point.

Playoff baseball is the best thing in sports. The atmospheres, intensity, close ballgames, great pitching matchups, and walk off homeruns are something that no other sport can match. Of course, it makes it that much better when your team is in it. I believe the Phillies will make their third straight playoff appearance and they will make it far into postseason play. Just how far is the question. The Phils are a great team, but there are always teams that are better. As much as I hate to say this as a diehard Phillies fan, sorry Philadelphia, no repeat this year.

Rauuuuuuuulllll, Where Have You Gone?

2009-08-28T16:32:00.001-04:00

Among the very few issues that the defending World Champions of Baseball face, including the absolute collapse of closer Brad Lidge and the still very large and looming question mark surrounding Pedro Martinez as the answer for the fifth spot in the rotation, the Phillies are also faced with the complete disappearance of the guy who virtually carried them offensively through the first half of the season. Among the very few issues that the defending World Champions of Baseball face, including the absolute collapse of closer Brad Lidge and the still very large and looming question mark surrounding Pedro Martinez as the answer for the fifth spot in the rotation, the Phillies are also faced with the complete disappearance of the guy who virtually carried them offensively through the first half of the season.

The fact that Raul Ibanez’s season is leveling off and his numbers are very quickly returning to something comparable to what he has done previously in his career shouldn’t really be much of a shock to anyone. The problem, though, is that because he was hitting so unbelievably well in the first half of the season, he has had to hit unbelievably badly to since then to come back to earth.

All may not be lost for Raul as we approach the final month of the season, however. At this moment, on August 28th he is batting .281 on the season. He hasn’t finished a season with an average as low as this since he batted .280 four years ago in 2005. While his power numbers may not see much more of a rise as the season winds down, it is very possible that his average will come up and with that, in a lineup like the Phillies have, only good things will happen.

With an offense such as the Philadelphia’s, where it sees stretches where it seems like an incredibly dominant force, it also sees stretches much like the recent one in Pittsburgh, where it just cannot seem to score runs. When a guy like Ibanez is struggling the way that he is it only makes the bad stretches seem worse. Whether it is because he is 37 years old or the possibility that there may be some lingering affects from the injury earlier this season, one thing is certain, if Ibanez is going through long stretches where he is barely hitting above the Mendoza line, it could make for a very frustrating September and October for the Phils’ offense.

More Brad Lidge Talk

2009-08-27T19:15:00.000-04:00

Before we get started here, understand something. Nobody wants to talk about Brad Lidge less than I do. It's hard enough to watch him for a few tenuous minutes if he happens to be pitching the 9th inning of that particular evening's game. At this point, you'd think that whatever problem Lidge seems to be having this year would be solved by now, one way or another. And make no mistake, Brad Lidge is a big problem.

As it is right now, the one thing that stands between the Phillies and a second consecutive World Series is the guy taking the ball in the 9th inning of close games. It's a sad thing to see, mostly because the main reason the Phillies won last year's title was the consistent domination of Bradley Lidge. But for the 2009 version of the Phillies, Lidge is the biggest, and perhaps only liability. You can make the case that the team could stand to improve their bench and that they need to do a better job of hitting with runners in scoring position, but for a club with 8 solid everyday players that is build around the 3-run homer, those problems could very well take care of themselves.

Of course, the Lidge situation could take care of itself as well, but as August gives way to September with no resolution in sight, the Phillies are running out of time. The good news is that Philly holds a comfortable 7 game lead over the Braves and Marlins in the NL East, so they can afford to use the month of September to fix the most glaring hole on their roster. Let's take a look at some of the ways the Brad Lidge situation could sort itself out.

Lidge could magically figure things out. I mean, it's not outside the realm of possibility. What's crazier: That the best closer in baseball last year would put up a 7+ ERA the following year, or that he discovers whatever it is that is failing him and throws together a great September and October. We already know by virtue of his unwavering support thus far that Charlie Manuel will give him every opportunity to succeed.

A look at Lidge's very recent history may indicate that things are not as bad as we think. The last blow up against the Pirates was pretty bad, but he was pitching for the 4th consecutive day. It's not unheard of for relievers to pitch 4 days in a row, but it's sort of seen as the threshold. You don't see anybody pitching 5 days in a row. It was a good test for Lidge against a bad team, but he failed miserably. So hopefully Charlie can chalk that one up to a lesson learned. Don't trot Lidge out there after he's pitched 3 days in a row.

Of the 3 days he pitched before the blown save in Pittsburgh, he looked very good in two of those appearances. Said appearances were sandwiched around the game that ended on Eric Bruntlett's unassisted triple play, and all three of the base runners allowed in that outing were the result of poor defense. His most recent blown save before that, August 15th in Atlanta, was also the result of poor defense (though some of that was from Lidge himself). So while we are talking about a very small sample size here, it is possible that there is enough going right for Lidge that he could find his way out of the woods any day now...

The Phillies could look outside the organization. Reports have surface that Chad Qualls and Trevor Hoffman have been put on waivers by their respective clubs in recent days. However, it is highly unlikely that either of those players would go unclaimed or even make it far enough through the process to be claimed by the Phillies. While this could change if something interesting presented itself, Ruben Amaro has indicated that the Phillies with likely fill any needs internally. Qualls and Hoffman would be good alternatives for the Phillies, but the possibility of that happening is pretty close to zero.

Pedro Martinez could close. The possibility of Pedro pitching out of the bullpen has not been raised publicly in too many places, but it is worth a shot. As a starter, Martinez has not proven to be that much of an upgrade on Jamie Moyer, who's rotation spot he replaced. Pedro's stuff has looked very good, it's just that he has not shown an ability to maintain it for more than 4 innings. Martinez certainly has the moxie to close, and if he could dial up his best stuff for an inning or so at a time he could be very effective in that role. The Phillies have not given any indication that they are ready to try Pedro out of the bullpen, but if he is unable to go more than 5 innings in his next start or two, they may think about ways he can better help the team.

Brett Myers could close. Though he has been very good so far in his rehab outings, it is still unclear how much Myers will be able to help the team this season after having hip surgery in June. But we do know that if healthy, Myers has the stuff and the mentality to succeed in the role. In fact, after pitching so well as a closer in 2007, Myers indicated that he preferred the 9th inning role, and only the acquisition of Lidge that winter moved him back into the starting rotation. Time is of the essence with Myers, as he will only have about a month to show the Phillies what he can do this season. But if he can come back healthy and Lidge continues to falter, the Phillies owe it to themselves to give Myers a shot to close out game. He very well may be their best alternative.

The Phillies could opt for a closer-by-committee. Sure, this approach is really just another way of saying that you have no closer, but is that really that far from accurate? On a few occasions this year, Charlie Manuel has opted to allow Scott Eyre begin the 9th inning when a team has a few tough lefties due up. This has worked out well when it has happened and I think Charlie should take this idea and run with it. The Phillies bullpen is full of guys with back-of-the-pen stuff- Chan Ho Park, Ryan Madson, Eyre, and Lidge, with Myers and JC Romero on the way back from injury. In the absence of better alternatives, it might be best for Charlie to play the best matchups in the 9th inning rather than default to defined roles. The downside could be that bullpen roles are defined often because relievers prefer them to be, but if they know that the 9th inning is going to be a kitchen sink situation from now on it could be effective.

Obviously, the easiest solution to all of this is for Brad Lidge to become Brad Lidge again. If that doesn't work and Brett Myers is healthy, I'd like to see him get a shot. If he is not able to contribute in that role, I'd like to see the Phillies take the committee approach and play the matchups. But one way or another a solution must be found. This Phillies team is too good to have their shot at another World Series undermined by an inability to get three outs in the 9th inning.

Doctors of Doom…and other joys in Metland

2009-08-26T23:15:00.000-04:00

Now that the Mets season has officially flatlined, the crazy run of injuries that has decimated the team this season can begin to be autopsied.

Just in the past day, both Johan Santana and Oliver Perez have been placed on the DL with season-ending injuries, bringing the count to 19 of players who have been on the list this year. The current DL, with its own payroll of more than $100 million, is now only a left fielder and catcher away from a full position roster, including a complete pitching rotation and relief staff.

That no team could possibly thrive with such a huge injury problem is indisputable, but the possibility of mere coincidence seems improbable. I have no answers, but unless there’s some accounting for the root of the problem, be it medical advice, training techniques, player compliance, or communication issues (on the Mets? Really? Imagine that…), the season that’s become unbearable will only be destined to be repeated. Until then, if I have any reason to be at the Hospital for Special Surgery, I'll be sure to bring my autograph book.

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Billy Wagner was traded to the Bosox the other day. Without getting into particulars, the Mets mismanaged a situation that could have led to much greater value down the line, but were obviously more concerned with the bottom line. When will the Wilpons own up to the obvious fact that the Madoff situation hit home harder than they’ve previously indicated. I can respect a team with understandable constraints or hardships, but it’s hard to stand by a team whose management appears to be blatantly stupid.

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Now that we’ve had a chance to see what AAA ball has in store for the Mets of the future, it seems safe to say that the majority of talent in the wings has just about the same depth as a kiddie pool. We’re also in the midst of witnessing the great Murphy experiment being graded with a fat F at the end of the season. Where is the future of this team? After all the debacles with Tony B, Omar, and the revolving minor league door, isn’t it simple to see that if there’s no talent waiting in line and not enough money to buy more real seasoned talent, Mets fans are in for a looooong stretch before the 2006 Season of Hope can ever possibly be imagined again. I can only imagine the marketing tagline the season comes up with for 2010. I’m sure it will be about as creative as the scintillating Citi Field logo.

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Speaking of Citi Field, who in their right mind – who hasn’t already been bamboozled into a season ticket - is going to be paying any amount of money to sit in a seat there during September? The only thing colder than Flushing during latter September will undoubtedly be the Mets’ bats. Any organization with half a marketing brain would already be doing things to maintain the tainted loyalty of its fan base, but smart money says the Mets will raise ticket prices and do nothing to soften the blow for those who’ve supported the most. “Build it and they will come” doesn’t hold water in season 2.

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I'm really much happier being less disgruntled, but these days in Metland there aren't many options. If you want to follow my in-game comments, you can find me on Twitter at twitter.com/mikevooss.

Wasted Season and Wasted Money at Citi Field

2009-08-25T12:06:00.004-04:00

Before the season started I had high hopes that this was the year the New York Mets would break the curse of the past two seasons’ collapses and make the post-season. They had played well enough to make the playoffs in both 2007 and 2008 except for the final few weeks of September that did them in. Not only that, but they had a brand new stadium and a revamped bullpen to go along with their core players. Even Sports Illustrated picked them to win the World Series …something I never recall happening in the twenty-four odd years I have been a fan. So with that in mind, I broke my rule of buying tickets in advance for the 2009, and once again this proved to be a jinx on the season.

The first time I did the advance ticket purchase thing was in 1987, thinking the Mets were a lock to repeat. I was 14 years old and literally counted out a water cooler full of apparently not-so-lucky pennies to buy a pair of tickets for a game a month. This, my friends, was a colossal pain in the nether regions. And what did I get for my effort? A season where Dwight Gooden started the first two months of the season in rehab, Bobby Ojeda, Rick Aguilera, Sid Fernandez and Ron Darling spent time on the DL and the Mets lost the division to the Cardinals. Coincidence or was this penny jar advanced purchase a jinx of some sort? Definitely something to consider.

Fast forward now some 13 years to the 2000’s when the Mets were coming off two consecutive post-season runs, including a World Series appearance. Tickets for the 2001 season were hard to come by for key games and I had a tradition of going to Opening Day every year. They only way to score Opening Day and Subway Series tickets was to either buy a ticket package or buy from a broker. So for a few years I did the ticket package thing because a package actually cost less for 6 games than a scalper charged for one. Sounds like a deal on paper but fast forward to June when your team is floundering and you are stuck with games until October and see how pleasant it is to drag yourself to the park because you can’t even give the seats away. Needless to say, my ticket package days ended some time during the Art Howe years.

This year, the edict on buying advanced tickets was lifted because I fully expected the Mets to have a good, competitive season and thought that reasonably priced seats would be hard to come by for weekend games in the new stadium. Plus, a good friend bought a season ticket plan and I had my choice of pretty much whatever games I wanted – except for Opening Day and the Subway Series. I generally hate the Subway Series so this didn’t matter to me, but not having Opening Day tickets was kind of a bummer because this was the first time I missed it in 10 years. On the flip side, though, the home opener was a night game in April that they ended up losing so I was definitely way more comfy on my couch cursing at the TV than in the elements drowning my sorrows in 8 dollar beers.

For a little more than $500 I bought a 6 pairs of tickets in Citi Field’s promenade reserve box down the left field line. At this point, I have one game left and I can honestly say, I might as well have flushed the money straight down the toilet. My first game on April 26th was a torturously long, 8-1 Oliver Perez loss in which Daniel Murphy ducked for cover from a fly ball in left. Can you say foreshadowing ladies and gentlemen? They did manage to win my May and July games, but June was loss to Tampa Bay and this past Saturday’s game against the Phillies was perhaps the most heinous loss of them all. Not only did the 2009 team disgrace the pre-game celebration of the 1969 World Series champs by handing their division rivals a win, but they also wasted a rare good outing from Tim Redding in the process. Add to that the fact that Phillies fans pretty much out numbered Mets fans and I can honestly say, the one semi-enjoyable thing about the evening was the delicious Shake Shack burger I stood on line 45 minutes to get. I left shortly after the burger…In hindsight, I should have left 45 minutes earlier, saved the $15 on ballpark food and went to a real restaurant where I wouldn’t have choked on my ground chuck.

Thankfully, the misery for my in-person games ends on September 6th – unless I can somehow unload this pair of tickets before then. My fingers are crossed that some Cubs fan may want to take them off my hands. But if not, I’ll be prowling the promenade reserve on Labor Day Weekend hoping 2010 brings better things. Things that I can comfortably observe from my sofa until the Mets prove themselves worthy of my presence at Citi Field.

An Ending to Remember

2009-08-24T11:07:00.009-04:00

By Chris Pollay

Yesterday, the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets played a wild game that I don’t think any fan will forget about anytime soon.

Maybe it was the result of superstition... as in the number 13. After all, it was the thirteenth game between the two ballclubs this season and this one had a little bit of everything (and everything was a little bit odd).

It was definitely emotional. Phillies’ manager Charlie Manuel got ejected in the 9th inning, so you know this one mattered. Also, Pitcher Pedro Martinez made his return visit to New York, so you know this one had drama.

The fans were not too happy to see him again, but they were far more angry at the home hurler, Oliver Perez. He gave up a pair of three-run homers to Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz before the top of the first inning was even over!

Not surprisingly, he left the game after pitching only 2/3rds of an inning and giving up six earned runs. I realize Perez’s ERA for the season is quite unimpressive (6.82), but his ERA for just yesterday was a staggering 81.81! Good grief.

Pedro Martinez couldn’t ask for a better scenario than a six-run lead before he even threw his first pitch. Still, he was shaky enough to keep things interesting. By the end of the third inning, he had given up four earned runs (including two home runs to Angel Pagan).

By the time he left the game after six full innings on the mound, his team comfortably lead 8 to 4... one of those runs, by the way, was provided by a bases-loaded single by Martinez in the top of the third inning.

Yet, the Mets chipped away at the lead and made it a ballgame again. Down two in the top of the ninth, they found themselves with runners on first and second (with no outs).

Thanks to errors by Ryan Howard and Eric Bruntlett, the Mets were in a perfect position for a last inning comeback. New York even had the right guy in the batter’s box to make it happen. Jeff Francouer already had a hit and an RBI on Sunday, and had batted four of eight (.500) over the previous two games in the series (including a home run on Friday night).

When Lidge delivered the last pitch, Francouer was right on top of it. The ball headed toward the gap over second base. For a split-second, everything was aligned perfectly for the Mets. However, that glimmer of hope was completely crushed when Bruntlett played the ball perfectly. He caught it and touched second base in a flash. Then, for good measure, he tagged out Daniel Murphy who had already committed to run on the pitch.

What an unbelievable ending!

The game was definitely odd, to be sure. Angel Pagan hit two home runs, one of which was inside-the-park, and that wasn't even the biggest statistical anomaly of the day.

Of course, that title goes to the last play. Bruntlett's unassisted triple play takes the cake. Even odder, it occurred not too long after he recorded an error.

I’ve seen a lot of baseball. I’ve never seen any game end on an unassisted triple play. Then again, it doesn’t happen often. After all, Bruntlett's gem was the first unassisted triple play to end a game in National League history and it was only the 15th unassisted triple play in Major League Baseball history.

Wow.

That was definitely one for the books.

Wagner, the Phillies don't want you either

2009-08-22T21:05:00.002-04:00

On Friday, former Phillie and current Met and redneck Billy Wagner was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox. Wagner finally made his 2009 debut on Thursday against the Atlanta Braves, when he pitched one inning of scoreless baseball. Wagner’s season has been delayed due to his recovery from the Tommy John surgery he had back in September of 2008.

The former Phillies closer was placed on waivers by the Mets earlier in the week, and when he was posed with the possibility of rejoining his former team, Billy couldn’t wait to say something to show his lack of intelligence. He made mention of hating his two years in Philadelphia and couldn’t bare the thought of spending another two months in the city. It’s making public comments like those that earned Billy the nickname of “rat” by former Phil Pat Burrell.

Then, upon hearing the news that the Red Sox claimed him, Wagner told the AP that he wasn’t aware of anything going on with them, but he relished the idea of joining a contender with the possibility of pitching in the World Series. I’m sorry, Billy, are the Phillies not the defending world champs and leading their division this year? So wouldn’t that make them a contender as well? Just admit that your fragile little psyche and aging arm don’t have what it takes to pitch in meaningful games in October.

When healthy, Wagner can be an effective pitcher; after all, he was regarded as an elite closer for the last seven years or so. If Billy does go to Boston, he obviously won’t be used as their closer. The Red Sox have Jonathan Papelbon for that. Wagner will be used as more of a set-up man or as a left-handed situational pitcher for late in games. This may actual pose some problems if the Phillies were to face the Red Sox in the World Series, since the Phitans lineup is loaded with left-handed batters.

The Mets have until 1pm on Tuesday to either complete a trade with the Sox, pull Wagner’s name off of waivers (which will render Billy unable to traded again this year), or simply award the former closer to Boston. Either way, if Billy lands in Beantown, they will have to pay him about $3.5 million, which in my opinion, is entirely too much to pay for a rat.

The Rivalry: Going, Going Gone? Not so fast!

2009-08-21T19:11:00.001-04:00

As a late August four game, weekend series between heated rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, gets ready to kick off in Flushing, NY this evening, it has become quite apparent that the Mets’ hopes and dreams of a postseason appearance is a mere afterthought, while the Phillies appear to be cruising to their third consecutive division title. With this being the case, is it fair to say that one of the most heated rivalries in pro sports over the past few years has lost some of its steam? As a late August four game, weekend series between heated rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets, gets ready to kick off in Flushing, NY this evening, it has become quite apparent that the Mets’ hopes and dreams of a postseason appearance is a mere afterthought, while the Phillies appear to be cruising to their third consecutive division title. With this being the case, is it fair to say that one of the most heated rivalries in pro sports over the past few years has lost some of its steam?

The rivalry has been a long and fairly storied one over the years. One big problem with the rivalry however, is that up until the mid-2000’s it has rarely, if ever, seen both teams being competitive at the same time. It could be said that 2006 is when the rivalry really began to heat up as the Mets cruised to their first division title in nearly twenty years while the Phils showed their first glimpses of becoming a perennial contender.

It never got more heated, though, than 2007 and 2008 when the Phillies surpassed the Mets both years, late in the season, to take the NL East crown. Since that time, the decimated by injury New York Mets have fallen off the map and much of the trash talk between players, fans and even media members has settled to a minimum. Although it may not be as heated as it has been for the past two or three years, the rivalry will always be there.

It was there in 1986 when the Mets won the World Series and Philadelphia finished twenty-one and a half games back. It was even there as the Mets won another division title in 1988 while the Phillies were a putrid franchise during that time and just finishing the season not having the worst record in baseball seemed like a victory of sorts. The rivalry was even there in 1993 as the Phillies cruised to their first postseason appearance in a decade while the Mets couldn’t even bring themselves to play .400 baseball.

The fact of the matter is that even though the rivalry will be more heated when both clubs are playing well, it will still be there when that is not the case. In the end, Phils fans will always love to hate the Strawberrys, Goodens, Beltrans and Reyeses, while Mets fans will always show up to try to boo the Schmidts, Kruks, Utleys and Rollinses out of the stadium. Things will be no different this weekend at Citi Field, even though the Mets are essentially fielding a minor league team and the defending World Champion Phillies are vying to take over the top spot in the entire National League. Even though they aren’t fighting over a championship, let’s all sit back and enjoy one of the longest lasting and best rivalries in the game.

Phillies vs Mets: The Rivalry Burns Strong

2009-08-21T08:04:00.008-04:00

by Chris Pollay

In the last three seasons, the rivalry between the Phillies and Mets has percolated to an all-time high. The two teams have finished one-two in the NL East standings all three times.

In 2006, the Mets took the NL East by winning 97 games, and in 2007 and 2008, the Phillies usurped their rivals in dramatic late-season fashion, taking the division title by a total of one game (2007) and three games (2008) altogether.

Since the NL East was first created in 1969, the Phillies and Mets have only finished one-two in the division four times altogether, so it is odd that three of them have occurred in recent consecutive seasons.

The other time was in 1986 when the Mets barely edged out the Phillies by 21.5 games.

OK. So, the history of the two ballclubs has been seemingly uninspired intermittently for well over three decades. Heck, the two teams have never even competed against each other in the postseason.

Still, the rivalry has been a thing of beauty to witness lately. In fact, if you look at the head-to-head record of the teams during the past three seasons (2006 to 2008), the Mets hold the bare minimum of margins with a 28 and 27 overall record.

However, if you factor in this season’s ten games (Phils lead 6 to 4) between the two clubs, the Phillies have racked up 33 wins versus 32 losses in the last 65 games between them.

It simply doesn’t get any closer than that. Or does it? If you look at the two team’s 46 head-to-head games throughout 2007, 2008 and so far in 2009, the run total for both teams against each other is as follows: Phillies, 206 runs; Mets, 207 runs. Wow.

With a four-game series coming up between the Phils and Mets in New York, it seems like the stakes might be awfully low this time around. After all, the Phils lead the Mets by 14.5 games and there are two teams sandwiched right in the middle of them in the standings (the Marlins and Braves).

But don’t think for a minute that the Mets don’t want these games badly. This time the Phils will be playing for October and the Mets will be playing for pride.

Long before 2006 and the neck-and-neck division lead battles, the teams still managed to battle hard with tons of memorable games. In fact, since the 2000 season (including thus far in 2009) here is a breakdown of the team’s head-to-head rivalry: the Phils have won 88 games; the Mets have won 84. Only four games separate them in an entire decade!

To illustrate further, let’s break down the total runs scored in those games. The Phils have put 812 on the board while the Mets have put up 804. Eight measly runs separate them in 170 games!

As a way of comparison, let’s look at how the MLB’s “best rivalry” -- the Yankees and Red Sox -- have fared against each other in that same time frame (since 2000, which includes two postseason series against each other).

The Yankees have also outscored Boston by a mere eight runs in all of that time, but the win-loss record is a bit more lopsided. The Bronx Bombers have won 99 to the Red Sox’s 89 victories, a difference of ten games.

I realize nobody will forget the classic back-to-back seven game ALCS series between those two clubs in 2003 and 2004, but the numbers this decade actually suggest that the Phillies and Mets have been a little closer overall in their recent rivalry.

Hopefully, they will translate into another memorable series over the next four days.

A moment of clarity in the midst of the fog

2009-08-19T17:31:00.007-04:00

I live up the street from 3-way intersection in one of the busiest parts of New York City. The streets are often filled with young children and elderly arts patrons, but the street lights at the corner are so poorly timed that it's absolutely impossible for even the briskest walker to cross the street before the light turns red. I've witnessed countless near-misses, and brought the problem to the attention of the city and our local officials. One day, someone will be killed at this intersection. As is all too often the case, it will take a tragedy for the problem to be fixed.

David Wright was beaned last week. There may be no scarier moment in baseball than this, one that may end a season, a career, or a life. While his brains rattled around within his skull like a toddler on a trampoline, the crowd was silenced. Slowly assured by visible breathing, then again as he sat up, and finally as he was able to leave the field on his own two feet, greatest fears slowly melted away to the more superficial. "Is he alive?" became "Is he okay?" and then "when can he play?"

A few days later, from the safety of the disabled list, the Captain-apparent spoke volumes with just a few words: "I'm embarrassed to be on the DL."

These were words of ethos, and with them David Wright separated the men from the boys. It took a near-tragedy, but it brought a huge problem to light. The Mets are a small core of die-hard team players surrounded by others who might rather think of themselves simply as worker bees.

Many have speculated that Wright's comments were pointed at Jose Reyes, who has been neither fish nor fowl spending most of this season on the DL. Rehabbing an injury that doesn't respond, he also doesn't seem to want to get on with surgery so that healing may begin. Reyes has been on the DL for longer than anyone could have possibly expected, but one has to ask how fragile an injury this must be for him to be totally incapable of progress, and if so, why it isn't being addressed more aggressively. It's been said that if Reyes can't come back at 100% he won't come back at all. Who among us is at 100% each day, let alone a professional athlete who is expected to endure bumps and bruises every day, yet bounce back like the Energizer bunny? Expectations need to be realistic. 100% is not realistic.

Last season, Johan Santana pitched and won a complete game on an injured knee that required surgery. This season he has again showed the heart of a competitor, capped with his now-famous "I am a MAN!" Like Wright, one can surmise that Johan lives to be on the field. Other's don't seem quite as eager. Last season, Oliver Perez followed Johan's complete game with a disemboweling that sealed the team's second collapse in as many years. This year, he's conjured up injuries to mask his professional impotence, seeming to relish the opportunity to be the highest-paid regular addition to the minor leagues. Last night he "tweaked" his knee, but rather than dismiss it to the questioning reporters, said he'd have to see how he was doing, as though he was making a bed he was planning to lay in. He has pitched without any heart but plenty of excuses, and without an ounce of contrition. Failure appears to be an option for Ollie, and his mediocrity is greeted with enthusiasm. He does not live to be on the field, he lives to collect a paycheck a magician conjured up for him. His numbers do not adequately portray the ineffectiveness of his performances, but surely anyone who has ever heard of Bernie Madoff knows that numbers lie.

Alex Cora has been playing the brunt of the season admirably without real use of both thumbs. Could you even eat an order of french fries without your thumbs? Cora has relished his opportunity. He has stepped up. His season is now over and he has nothing to be embarrassed about.

Gary Sheffield will be inducted to the Hall of Fame one day. He is far from being a spring chicken, but he has fought for his position and puts everything into every at bat he has. At times he seems to be in need of a walker when he plays left field, but he gives his all every play, every game. He has nothing to be embarrassed about.

Carlos Beltran has appeared to want to come back to the team in the worst way. At this point, when they're talking about surgery still being a viable option, why not let him? What's the worst that's going to happen? He'll need surgery? He probably will anyway. Let him play, let the chips fall where they may. Carlos has nothing to be embarrassed about.

And then there's Mike Pelfrey. No injury, just demons. Mike Pelfrey is the red light on the corner waiting to be fixed. Either someone will fix him, or he's doomed to be a continual problem. Big Pelf has heart, but he needs help that may not be coming from within this organization.

Each player, each coach, each member of management needs to simply make their best attempt toward some form of success to wash away some of the embarrassment before this miserable season is finally put to bed. Whether aggressive options at this point in a doomed season should even be explored any longer is well beyond me. But what isn't lost is the cry for a solution that goes well beyond the stats, well beyond the rhetoric, well beyond everyday expectations. From a position of crisis, David Wright cried out for his team of professional athletes to push themselves toward performance. More importantly, management needs to pay attention and recognize that the Wrights of the team need to be surrounded by more of their own. Embarrassment comes from many sources. The most embarrassing for the team and its followers is a lack of willingness to go further to test themselves, to prove themselves. Each player need not get on the field prepared for a Kurt Schilling championship moment, but let's hope the lessons of this tragic season bring along some action that helps make it something that no one on the field or in the stands has to endure again.

The Qualities of Leadership

2009-08-18T16:22:00.004-04:00

Much has been made this week about how David Wright handled the near miss beaning by Cardinals reliever Brad Thompson and now this past weekend’s direct hit by the Giants’ starter Matt Cain. It has been said that in keeping his cool – especially in the seemingly intentional Thompson brush back, Wright exuded all the qualities of leadership that this Mets team needs going forward. But does a team floundering in 4th place after suffering 2 consecutive September collapses really need a leader that is robotically passive when being challenged? Or do they need a leader that will stand up and show some fight and spirit? Based on the on-field lethargy we have all witnessed the past three years, perhaps David should start hanging around Keith Hernandez so some grit rubs off of him.

Now don’t get me wrong, there is no question in my mind that David Wright is the face of the Mets. He is the Derek Jeter-like untouchable messiah that will likely lead this team into the promised land at some point during his career. The kid pretty much has done everything right since they day he was promoted to the major leagues. With David, you never fear the foot-in-mouth syndrome PR nightmare that seems to be so prevalent among Mets players and management. Now granted, this season the home runs are down, the strikeouts are up and he does seem more mortal with runners in scoring position but on a team decimated by injuries, Wright feels more pressure than anyone to carry the club and it has affected his game. As the “face of the franchise”, and a pretty young one at that, a little tailing off this year can be forgiven due not only to the fact that he is surrounded by replacement players in the lineup, but also that he is playing in a cavernous new ballpark. I give Wright the utmost credit for facing the media during the worst times of this lost season and the previous two collapses and taking responsibility for the mediocrity on the field.

However, there does come a point where doing and saying everything the “Wright” way may not be what’s best for the team. For example, if Piazza had charged the mound when Clemens went rootin’ tootin’ roid rage ballistic on him during the 2000 World Series maybe the Mets would have put up a better fight instead of losing in 5 games. Certainly, the 1986 Mets would not have stood for such shenanigans and their swagger and grit lead them to a championship.

It is all well and good for David to feel bad about the Mets’ failures the past few years and for the disappointing 2009 season but there comes a time when you are faced by adversity that you have to stand up and fight back or you will get stepped on. I challenge any team out there to be able to overcome the injuries that have plagued the 2009 Mets and go on to have a championship caliber season. Their entire starting lineup and pitching rotation has been completely decimated for months. Expecting the team currently taking the field to have a winning season is like picking the Nationals or the Pirates to win the World Series – there just isn’t enough talent. But at some point, when an opposing pitcher throws at your head intentionally, perhaps it is time to show some spine and fight back a bit. Get the adrenaline charged and do something, anything, to stand up for yourself so other teams take you seriously.

In 2007 and 2008 the Mets just rolled over and died. They practically handed the Phillies and Marlins shovels and bags of dirt to bury them. If David is going to be the leader of this team he has to prove on the field and to his teammates that this submissive attitude just doesn’t fly. He is the only person on the roster that has the passion for the team and for winning that can handle this, but he needs to work on that “take no crap” attitude. That’s not to say he should be charging the mound punching out any pitcher that brushes him back, but in some way, whether by a gesture or an aggressive play, show the opponent that you and your team are not pushovers. You play in New York where win or lose, there is a certain grittiness that comes with the territory of being a New York franchise. Otherwise, not only will other teams eat you alive but the fans will too.

The Phillies Need More Closure... And Soon

2009-08-17T10:53:00.009-04:00

By Chris Pollay

When you compare the 2009 Phillies with their 2008 Championship counterparts, it becomes apparent that last year’s team had one crucial advantage, a saving grace, if you will: closer Brad Lidge.

At times, he hoisted the entire team on his shoulders in 2008 and carried them to the finish line. This year, however, he is not the same player. He is the team’s biggest question mark as the Phils gear up to try to make a third consecutive postseason appearance.

Philly fans will never forget the immaculate numbers from last year: 41 saves in 41 opportunties in the regular season and seven saves in seven opportunities in the playoffs. Pure perfection.

His ERA for the regular season was a phenomenal 1.95 in 72 games and a merciless .96 in seven appearances during the postseason. He was virtually unhittable for the entire season and the Phillies never conceded a ninth inning lead all season long!

Think about that for a moment. Nothing gives a team more confidence than sending in a perfect closer to maintain a ninth-inning lead. That kind of confidence leads to championships.

This year, however, the closer has proved to be unstable, at best.

Lidge has struggled mightily and injuries have gotten the better of him for much of the year. With about six weeks left in the season, the right-hander has only saved 23 games in 31 opportunities (during 49 games). He also holds an 0 and 5 record, which contrasts sharply with last year’s 2 and 0 effort.

The closer you look at the Phil’s closer, the more distraught you will become by the numbers, especially if you compare them to the stats in 2008. He has already given up 35 earned runs so far this year, which is more than twice his total allowed of all of last season (he only gave up 15 earned runs in the regular season and one earned run in the postseason).

In 2008, throughout the course of pitching 69.1 regular season innings, Lidge only gave up 50 hits and two home runs. After pitching 43.2 innings this season, he has already been lit up for 52 hits and ten homers.

Clearly, the persistent pain in Lidge’s right knee has affected him more than he has let on. His numbers have spiked all season long which means his mechanics are simply not working properly and his confidence isn’t the same.

Perhaps what is most troubling (besides his 7.21 ERA) is that he has only given up three earned runs or less for an entire month once this season (June). In fact, he has already given up five in August and we’re only at the mid-point.

To put that in perspective, Lidge only allowed more than three earned runs in an entire month once all of last season (July).

The crucial weekend series against the division rival Atlanta Braves proved to be a microcosm for Lidge’s up and down 2009 season. He pitched in all three games, recording a save on Friday in nail-biting fashion, then blowing a save on Saturday before pitching the final out and earning a save again yesterday.

In all he pitched only 1 2/3 innings, yet, he gave up three hits, three walks and two runs. He also committed two errors on Saturday in a game he certainly does not want to remember.

But, here’s the reason why Philly fans should not panic: Somehow, the team has a better record now (66-49) than they had at this same point last season (62-53)... and they’re doing it without a dominant closer.

Of course, I realize a blown save in the postseason can change the momentum of an entire playoff series. Despite the shaky stats, Phils’ manager Charlie Manager is resolute in keeping Lidge in the closer role. He insists the team is completely confident with him on the mound late in the game (even if fans are not).

Since Ol’ Cholly has brought the City of Brotherly Love its first championship in 25 years, I have to give him the benefit of the doubt. He believes in players, not numbers, and his team has already proved that it knows what it takes to be champions.

Even though they have had more than their share of problems this year, the Phillies keep finding ways to win. They are ahead of last season’s pace and still look poised to make a potentially deep October run. As a fan, I have to believe Lidge will step up again and be a positive difference maker when it matters most for the team.

Guess we'll find out soon enough. This should be another interesting September.

What to do about the ninth inning?

2009-08-15T21:56:00.003-04:00

On a day where some questions about Cole Hamels appeared to be answered, other questions concerning Brad Lidge remain. Hamels pitched six innings and gave up just two earned runs Saturday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves on his way to what should have been his eighth win of the season, but when it came time for the Phils to turn the game over Brad Lidge, he gave up two runs in the ninth, and the Phillies lost 4-3.

Saturday’s outing by Hamels put to rest (at least until his next start) questions as to where the Phillies ace falls in the rotation as the season draws closer to the playoffs. In his previous two starts, Cole has only pitched 10 innings total, and he has also given up 10 earned runs and walked six batters while only striking out six. Throughout the season, Hamels has had a few quality starts followed by a few sub-par performances. The Phillies desperately need Hamels to string together four or five consecutive good starts not only to build his confidence going into the playoffs but to also provide the Phillies with the much-needed wins necessary to clinch the division.

Saturday’s game also saw another blown save by Phillies closer Brad Lidge, his eighth of the year. This comes just a day after Lidge looked so effective in saving Friday night’s 3-2 victory for the Phillies, earning him his 22nd save of the year. Sure, you could blame the defense for why the Phils lost on Saturday, but Lidge contributed to that by committing two costly errors on the same play to allow the tying run to score and put the winning run on third with nobody out. After two walks and a strikeout, Lidge eventually gave up a single to Omar Infante to complete the Phillies’ collapse.

With the season inching ever so closely to September and October, the question as to what to do with Brad Lidge looms over the defending world champs. His sole job is to record three outs, shut the door on the opposing team, and secure victory for the team, but throughout this year, he just hasn’t been getting that done at all. Even in his saves, Lidge has looked shaky, giving up home runs and walks.

But what can the Phillies do? They already know Ryan Madson can’t be their closer based upon how he performed in that role earlier this season, and J.C. Romero is not only on the disabled list but I’m sure the Phillies don’t want to take him out of his setup role. That only leaves Brett Myers as the only other viable option to pitch the ninth inning if Lidge continues to struggle. Myers already has a history of closing with the Phillies. In 2007, Myers moved from the rotation to the bullpen to fill that much needed vacancy. Myers, however, is still on the disabled list recovering from hip surgery, and suffered another setback. He was supposed to pitch one inning for the Phillies Clearwater minor league team, but he reportedly was scratched today because he injured his eye.

As the 2009 regular season draws to an end, the Phillies are going to need an effective Cole Hamels as well as a closer in which they have confidence, whether it is Brad Lidge, Brett Myers, or someone else. The rest of the staff is pitching just fine and the bats have started to come alive again, and the Phillies need that to continue if they plan on repeating in October.

Phils Chance At Redemption

2009-08-14T17:36:00.001-04:00

Fresh off an impressive sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies are set for a very important weekend series against the Atlanta Braves. This is a huge series because it gives the Phils a chance to redeem themselves, even if just a little bit, from their horrible performance against division rivals, the Florida Marlins last weekend in which the Marlins took it to the Phils to the tune of an embarrassing three game sweep in their own ballpark.

Fresh off an impressive sweep of the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies are set for a very important weekend series against the Atlanta Braves. This is a huge series because it gives the Phils a chance to redeem themselves, even if just a little bit, from their horrible performance against division rivals, the Florida Marlins last weekend in which the Marlins took it to the Phils to the tune of an embarrassing three game sweep in their own ballpark.

Granted, a sweep this weekend, which would put Philadelphia up by seven games with only fifty left to play would be wonderful, but coming off of their sweep of the Cubs, the Phils will be more than happy to leave Atlanta, having taken two of three and should also help them regain some credibility within the division after being embarrassed last weekend.

There are several keys to this weekend’s series, including whether or not struggling former ace Cole Hamels can pull it together enough to turn in a passable performance on Saturday night, but the main key is the Phils’ offense. While it certainly showed some signs of life on Wednesday and Thursday, it seemed to be lost in a deep slumber prior to that. In the five games before Wednesday’s outburst they scored a measly sixteen runs, barely more than three a game, which for an offense that is usually dominant, is almost embarrassing.

It will certainly not be devastating if the Phils drop two of the three games, or even if they get swept this weekend, but it will definitely raise questions about the team’s “killer instinct” and ability to turn things up a notch in big games against important opponents.

The Braves will be coming at the Phils full throttle this weekend in Georgia to keep any hopes of catching the defending champions alive. In doing this, they will be throwing three very good pitchers at the Phils in Jair Jurrjens, arguably the Braves’ best pitcher on Friday, Kenshin Kawakami, who is coming off of a fantastic start against the Dodgers last Saturday where he went seven shut-out innings giving up only four hits and Javier Vazquez, who is sporting a shiny 10 – 7 record with a 2.90 earned run average. The key to this weekend’s series is how the Phils offense responds to three very solid pitchers in a very important mid-August series against a tough divisional opponent.

Phillies/Braves Series Pitching Preview

2009-08-13T16:24:00.002-04:00

The Phillies missed a prime opportunity to put some distance between themselves and their NL East competitors when they got swept by the Florida Marlins over the weekend. However, the team appears to be mostly back on track after completing a sweep of the Cubs in Chicago this afternoon. Now, the Phillies will have another opportunity to pull away from an NL east opponent when they travel to Turner Field this weekend for a three game series with the Atlanta Braves. The Braves currently sit 4.5 games (tied with Florida) behind the Phillies in the NL East. However, the Braves hold a 7-2 edge in the season series and swept the Phillies in Atlanta in their most recent series in early July. Let's take a look at the pitching matchups in an important series for both clubs.

Friday, August 14th: Joe Blanton vs. Jair Jurrjens
When Blanton allowed 3 runs in 6.2 innings in his most recent start against Florida, it represented the most runs he had allowed since June 30, coincidentally against Atlanta. Since Brett Myers went down with a hip injury and the 2008 Cole Hamels has yet to report for duty in 2009, Blanton has stepped up nicely as the number 2 starter for the Phillies behind the recently acquired Cliff Lee. In his 13 starts since May 21st, Blanton has a 2.46 ERA. He will face tough opponent in Jair Jurrjens, who in two starts against the Phillies this season has not allowed a single earned run. Jurrjens ERA has 3.01 for the season, however, he has been unable to pitch into the 6th inning in each of his last two starts.

Saturday, August 15th: Cole Hamels vs. Kenshin Kawakami
While he's shown flashes of his 2008 self at times this year, Cole Hamels has been largely inconsistent in 2009. Though he has at times been the victim of some bad luck (his batting average on balls in play is .318, 5th worst in the NL), he has also struggled with his command and his inability to develop and consistent third pitch to get hitters off of his once lethal fastball/changeup combo. In short, the league has adjusted to Hamels and Hamels has yet to make counter adjustments. Hamels was very good as recently as July 28th versus Arizona, but his last two starts have been disappointing. He will face Japanese right Kenshin Kawakami, who has steadily improved after a disastrous start. Kawakami's most recent start may have been his best of the season, as he shut out Los Angeles through 7 innings. Since a very poor month of April, Kawakami has a respectable 3.46 ERA. In his only start against Philadelphia, he gave up 2 runs in 6 innings to earn the win.

Sunday, August 16th: JA Happ vs. Javier Vazquez
JA Happ has weathered losing a tight battle for the final rotation spot in spring training, more than a month of Roy Halladay rumors, and more speculation about his starting spot as Pedro Martinez got ready to make his return to the Major Leagues. And all he's done is post an 8-2 record and a 2.75 ERA while making himself a legitimate Rookie of the Year candidate. Happ bounced back from a shaky start against St. Louis on July 24th and allowed just 4 earned runs in his last 3 outings. While Happ may have just average Major League stuff, he makes up for it with excellent poise and command of his fastball. He faces veteran Javier Vazquez, who has done quite well for himself in his first season in Atlanta. Like Happ, Vazquez lacks above average stuff, but he baffles hitters with a variety of arm angles and his everything-but-the-kitchen-sink pitch selection. In his most recent start, Vazquez allowed just one run in eight innings against the Dodgers. His victory over LA was his 10th of the season, and he sports a 2.90 ERA.

Distractions Not Distracting the Phillies

2009-08-13T12:23:00.005-04:00

It was the most anticipated start for the Phillies since Cliff Lee made his debut against the Giants on July 31st. It was the first time since Steve Carlton that a pitcher with at least 3 Cy Coung Award wins started for the Phillies. And it was a long, but much needed win for the struggling Phils offense and for all the distractions that have been surrounding the Phillies lately. Despite Shane Victorino’s 350 ft. centerfield ejection, Moyer’s unhappy remarks, Pedro’s anticipation, Howard’s struggles, Ibanez’s struggles, and an unruly Cubs fan tossing beer, the Phillies were able to take the first two games from the Cubs in the 3-game set.

During the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and the bases juiced in last night’s ballgame, Cubs’ Jake Fox hit a long fly ball to the edge of the warning track to centerfield. Victorino drifted back, with his hand out protecting himself from the wall when a Cubs fan threw an entire cup of beer on Victorino as soon as he caught the ball. Luckily, the beer didn’t avoid Victorino from catching the ball or hurting himself, because even if he did drop the ball, Fox would have been out anyway for fan interference. Who knows what prompted this fan to do something so wrong and unsportsmanlike? Maybe it was because his Cubs were down 10 runs at that point in time, or he was bored out of his mind, or because of what happened with Victorino in last Sunday’s ballgame.

It was a hot and humid day on August 9th when the Phillies played the Marlins to avoid a three-game sweep. It was the top of the seventh inning, and bad blood had already been created between the Phillies and the home plate umpire over a pitch delivered to Ryan Howard earlier in the game. With no outs and Wes Helms at the plate for the Marlins, Rodrigo Lopez fired in a pitch, and the ump called it a ball. Victorino who was standing approximately 350 feet away from the umpire at home plate out in centerfield, was ejected for throwing his hands in the air in disgust over the umps call. Victorino immediately started to sprint into the infield to discuss this with the home plate umpire. Fortunately, he was restrained by teammates Paul Bako and Howard so he wouldn’t get a suspension to add onto his ejection.

Ever since the Phillies signed Pedro Martinez to a one year, one million dollar deal, the Phillies had some decisions to make about their bullpen and starting rotation. Who would have to go to the bullpen to make room for the three-time Cy Young Award winner? Is a six-man rotation possible? These questions were answered when the Phillies announced that they would move the struggling Jamie Moyer to the bullpen. Moyer, a hometown hero with 250+ career wins, talked Tuesday about the decision the Phillies made and how he felt about it. “I’m really not happy with the decision the Phillies made,” Moyer boldly stated. He also continued to say that last winter, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. “promised” him that if the Phillies re-signed him, he would remain a starter. Unfortunately, I believe that Amaro made these circumstances assuming that Moyer wouldn’t have a lucky 10-9 record, and a colossal 5.47 earned run average. Moyer also stated that though he is unhappy with the final decision to demote him to the bullpen, it is something that he is going to have to deal with, and he will. Now the only question left is, how exactly will Moyer be used in the pen? Charlie will have to answer that one for you.

Last night’s 12-5 win against the Cubs was great to see (as always), especially because of the way the Phillies offense has been underperforming as of late. One main reason is due to the lack of power and consistency of two of the Phillies biggest sluggers, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. Ibanez is hitting a miserable .214, while Howard is hitting just a few points higher at .217 in the last 14 days. They have a combined one homerun and 30 strikeouts. That’s not exactly getting the power production we hope for here in Philadelphia. Hopefully Howard’s triple and Ibanez’s three run blast last night are a sign of good things to come for the rest of the season from these two much needed sluggers in the middle of that potentially dangerous lineup.

Out of all of the distractions of late, probably the biggest one and most exciting one was Pedro Martinez’s debut in 2009 and for the Phillies. After a few rehab starts, the Phillies believed that he was ready to compete again in the majors. So, they put him up against former Notre Dame wide receiver, Jeff Samardzija. Fortunately, Samardzija, who was also making his 2009 debut as a starting pitcher, couldn’t match Pedro’s performance. The Phillies definitely came out swinging the sticks and they continued throughout the entire ballgame. Martinez complete five frames giving up seven hits and 3 earned and received his first victory since September 25th of last year against the Cubs. Though Martinez is not going to give the Phillies a solid 7-8 innings every time he starts, he proved last night that he could still compete, and contribute to this ballclub hoping to repeat what they did in 2008.

Though there have been many distractions surrounding the Phillies lately, they seem to be avoiding them when they step onto the field, and hopefully it remains that way.

Home Is Where No Heart Is

2009-08-12T23:46:00.001-04:00

The Mets opened a beautiful stadium this year that had no identity other than the name of a failing financial institution on its façade. Other than the retired numbers adorning the left field wall, nothing said “The Mets Live Here.”

Today, 114 games later, the team announced that championship banners and team photographs were being installed in the stadium. At the same time, with the team 11.5 games out of the division lead and 10 games behind for the wild card, ticket prices were reduced up to 50% for 13 of their remaining 26 home games.

The problem, however, is that it has taken the season to become virtually hopeless for the Wilpons to decide their losing team should display its home. Public relations and marketing may not be management’s strong suit, but it’s apparent that pandering is. Just when fans are throwing in their towels in disgust after witnessing 2 years of collapses and what might be described as indifference to the current roster, the first family of Queens baseball wants to give fans a reason to come to the ballpark. It’s almost as if they’re saying “Never mind the major league prices we’ve charged you to watch minor league ball for the past 2 months, come see the stadium and we’ll even throw in a ballgame.” For real fans a better tact might be to show real heart, real concern for a franchise that’s failed, come up with a plan to fix it and managers at all levels who are up to the task, and actually communicate it to the public. The direction they’re working with doesn’t stand any more of a chance moving forward as they have looking back. The injuries aren’t the problem, they’ve actually provided the microscope for analysis. Mets faithful need to hope it’s looked into with an enlightened eye, or this song will keep sounding like a broken record for many years to come.

On another note, the Mets won this afternoon in spite of Oliver Perez’s best efforts and numerous attempts to hand the game over to the Diamondbacks. His contract is making me think I really do need to be represented by Scott Boras. Until Ollie, I really thought the only people that regularly get paid well to regularly fail miserably were meteorologists.

The NY Mets' 2010 Agenda - To Patch or Tear Down? That is the Question!

2009-08-11T18:18:00.004-04:00

For the Mets, the sole goal for the rest of 2009 should be focusing on what they need to do to turn this mess around next year. The team needs to evaluate every player on the roster as well as those in their minor league system. They also need to evaluate the personnel in the front office, the coaching, medical and managerial staff and figure out once and for all what changes need to made. Clearly, the winds need to shift in Flushing to remove the awful stench emanating from Citi Field.

First and foremost a decision needs to be made as to the fate of both Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel. While I don’t always agree with Manuel’s tactics, the truth is, he has done a pretty good job of steering this sinking ship of injuries through the muck. Unfortunately for Jerry, if Omar is fired or moved to a different position within the Mets organization, he is probably a goner. And if Manuel is ultimately let go then the only person I would want to see the Mets hire as manager is Bobby Valentine. If Valentine could lead the 1999 and 2000 teams to the post-season with an outfield of Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton, Timo Perez and Derek Bell then clearly he can make this motley crew into winners. And you can bet that any “bad seed” players that have trouble following orders won’t be long for the team if Valentine is manning the helm.

If the Wilpons decide Omar needs to go or be moved elsewhere within the organization, whomever they hire for the GM position needs autonomy to build the team as he sees fit. The Wilpon meddling needs to stop. Sign the checks and shut the F$% up. Whether they promote John Ricco to GM and hire a strategist like Gerry Hunsicker or Buck Showalter to work alongside him remains to be seen, but personally, I don’t know enough about Ricco to have confidence solely in him. If he had some reputable advisors working with him, that’s another story. Another name that has surfaced recently as far as GM goes would be Oakland’s Billy Beane. Could Billy be lured away from the left coast by the Mets giving him double the player payroll to work with? It remains to be seen.

With regard to the medical staff, this is a short one. Fire everyone. Whomever you replace them with, make sure they have medical licenses to practice on humans in the United States of America. Some references would be good as well. Stay away from candidates names Kevorkian and Spacemen.

As far as the players go, now is the time to see what we’ve got from these replacements and some of the minor leaguers once the rosters expand. Clearly, the core of the team is Wright, Reyes, Santana, Beltran and K-Rod. Everyone else is pretty much expendable at this point and Reyes could be included in this group if there was a mind-blowing offer made. I’m liking what I have seen from Francouer thus far in right field so barring any tailspin you have only left field open next year. Can Fernando Martinez handle it? Unfortunately, his earliest try-out will probably be spring training. I hate to give up on a prospect so young but I have to say, from what I have seen of him, F-mart is not that impressive…maybe he just isn’t ready for the majors. It also doesn’t help that he is always hurt. The other in-house option for left field is Angel Pagan. Pagan looks good but is he an everyday player and will he hustle like one? Now is the time to find out…Otherwise, the Mets need to find someone to play left field who can hit for power. Not having a bat who can tie a game with one swing is a huge detriment that needs to be fixed.

For the infield, third and short are fine with Wright and Reyes, providing Reyes is healthy for 2010. Castillo must be commended this year for bouncing back to form so if he is at second and can be productive that is fine. First base, though, is a giant question mark. Delgado is not coming back, and as mentioned, we seriously need someone in the line-up besides Beltran with some sort of power. Can we afford to go with Daniel Murphy at first? He’s shown promise and you have to give the kid credit for sticking it out through the horrendous batting slump and learning a new position. With that being said, though, we need a bat…we really need a bat. And unfortunately, Murphy has proven his outfield skills are non-existent. He’s too young to be a bench player so I’m not really sure what to do here…I had high hopes for him but the truth is, if they can get some power at first base and can trade Murphy to an AL team where he can play first and DH then maybe that’s the best scenario for everyone involved.

As far as pitching goes, aside from Santana, the starting rotation is a mess. Pelfrey has clearly demonstrated he is not a #2 starter. He needs to use the rest of this season to prove to management and fans once and for all what he is capable of. Stop with the hand-licking, the balking and the yips and just get it done. Either that, or the Mets need to Isringhausen him so he can become a star for another team. Hey, we all know that’s what usually happens when the Mets trade home grown talent (Melvin Mora, Marco Scutaro…dare I continue?).

Oliver Perez is another giant question mark. His last outing was very good but you never know what you are going to get from him. If the Mets can possibly move him with that outrageous contract, they probably should. Doubtful but…

As far as the rest of the rotation goes, Jon Niese may or may not be a factor depending on how he heals from the hamstring injury. I would like to see him back to take Livan Hernandez’s spot in the rotation but that remains to be seen. If not Niese, perhaps Parnell will be in the rotation but I tend to think Parnell is of more value in the bullpen.

There is also some question for John Maine as well. Maine is always hurt but worth taking a chance on for a one year incentive-laden deal. Worst case scenario> With a cheap deal, if he can’t hack it you release him or try to trade him. Honestly, I trust Maine more than Pelfrey and Perez at this point. Despite the injuries you get the feeling that he gets it as far as pitching goes and he seems to not be afflicted by attention deficit order like Perez or anxiety like Pelfrey.

As far as the bullpen goes, obviously, K-Rod is the closer, though with 2 blown saves in his last 3 opportunities that can be debated. Feliciano has proven to be reliable as has Stokes. Sean Green, not so much. He is somewhat expendable though I don’t know what kind of trade value he has.

Putz’ fate somewhat depends on whether he returns this season. If he does and proves he can get people out, I would pick up his option. If the Mets don’t opt to keep him they can always trade him. Plenty of teams need closers so they might actually get something worthwhile back. The same can be said for Wagner. If he can come back before the waiver deadline and prove he can pitch someone might claim him for the stretch run.

As mentioned earlier, though, once the 2009 season is over the first thing that needs to be done is for the Mets to figure out their front office and managerial situation. This needs to be done relatively quickly. The indecisiveness and dragging stuff out can’t happen. If you are firing people, do it and move on. Hire their replacements, set a goal for 2010 as far as the direction this team is going, make a plan and stick to it. Either patch the glaring holes and try to win in 2010 or cut your losses, clean house and rebuild. There is no real middle ground. The Art Howe years proved that you can’t fence sit in New York or you will quickly continue on the path to irrelevance that 2009 kicked off.

Rough Road Ahead

2009-08-10T12:20:00.007-04:00

By Chris Pollay

Last Friday, the Philadelphia Phillies (61-48) stood poised atop the National League East with a comfortable seven-game lead ahead of Florida as the Marlins headed to the City of Brotherly Love for an important three-game series.

By the time the Marlins left, however, the huge lead shrunk down to only four games and the Phils are suddenly looking quite vulnerable.

It’s not so much that the Marlins outscored the Phillies 21 to 9 and outhit them by a stunning margin of 39 to 21 -- although that certainly helps -- but it’s the road that lies directly ahead. It's not going to be an easy one.

This week the Phillies travel on the road and face two tough ballclubs: the Chicago Cubs (58-51) and the Atlanta Braves (58-54), teams that have beat the Phillies eight of twelve times this season thus far.

And, right now, the Phils look like they would struggle to beat anybody.

After a blistering hot July, they are once again all-too-fallible, losing eight of their last eleven games, including a humiliating 12 to 3 loss to Florida on Sunday where the Phillies were so frustrated that Shane Victorino got ejected while flapping his arms in centerfield (apparently showing his displeasure for the home plate umpire's calls).

I can't blame him, really. It was a lousy day for the home team. Incidentally, 12 runs is the most the Phillies have given up to any ballclub in all of the 2009 season and the Marlins' 19 hits in the game was a season high.

Hmmm. Maybe Victorino was trying to simply fly the Hell out of there.

Still, the home losses to the Marlins are hardly an unusual occurrence this year. It is interesting to note that the Phils and Marlins seems to prefer each other’s ballparks. At Citizens Bank Park, the Marlins are 5-1 in 2009; however, when the two teams meet in Land Shark Stadium, the Phils have won all six games.

Unfortunately, this weekend was played in Philly. Thus, the Marlins exploded offensively right when they need it most. The team batted 39 for 116 (.336) compared to a struggling Phillies club that only hit 21 of 99 (.212).

Helping the Marlins bat like a team of Triple Crown Winners was the Phils’ sputtering starting pitching staff, which didn’t pitch well (4.76 ERA) or deep. They only lasted 17 innings in the series, taxing the bullpen to come in for ten innings in three days. The late inning relievers were simply awful, giving up eleven earned runs and an ERA of 9.9.

Hopefully, the team will enjoy the day off and rest up a bit as clearly fatigue is catching up with them.

The Phillies need to step up this month as they face National League East opponents ten times in the month's remaining 19 games. The club is 25-18 against its own division this season, but if you take out the games against the basement-dwelling Nationals, they are only 15-16.

That's simply not good enough if you want to win the division crown.

From pitiful to passable ...

2009-08-09T20:28:00.004-04:00

After some recent unwatchable games, the New York Mets played a fairly solid game this afternoon. Not spectacular by any means, as they were helped by some defensive shortcomings on the part of the Padres', but solid enough.

Johan Santana pitched a great game and even helped him self out with a double. I know Santana is one of the only bright spots the Mets have left and they don't want to jeopardize that, but with the way the bullpen has been pitching, why pull him after the eight? I know most teams are extremely cautious about the number of pitches their starters throw, but Santana had made it through eight and threw 109 pitches. Why not at least give him a chance in the ninth?

Is Jerry Manuel being conservative? Does he realize the season is pretty much over for his team so instead of risking a late game injury to one of the only stars he has left, he pulls him? But if the season is just about over, why not give him a shot? Maybe I'm reading too much into it. Maybe I'm trying to blame someone, or something (as other writers on this blog have mentioned).

I'm getting bored as a fan. I love my team, but they go from pitiful to passable like it's nothing - it's like dealing with a moody teenager. I don't want to give up on them, but I almost wish they'd just be pitiful. I can't take much more of this.

The rotation is just fine

2009-08-08T17:17:00.003-04:00

There’s an old quote that says, “You can never have enough pitching.” Well, actually, you can, and that is what the Philadelphia Phillies are faced with now. They have potentially six starting pitchers and only five spots in the rotation.

The problem surfaced when the Phillies signed free agent Pedro Martinez in July as an insurance policy in case they had to trade away Rookie of the Year candidate J.A. Happ as part of a deal to land Roy Halladay. That deal never took place; Happ stayed, and the Phillies acquired Indians ace Cliff Lee instead.

When Lee joined the club last week, Rodrigo Lopez, who was filling in as the club’s fifth starter, had to move to the bullpen. Martinez, however, is still working out the bugs in the minor leagues, but when he is ready to come up and join the Phillies, many have speculated as to where he will go and what will happen to the rotation. The choice is not easy, but it might not be as complicated as some are making it out to be.

The top end of the rotation has no questions as to who will fill the spots: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Joe Blanton. The only question here is whether or not Hamels can look like the ace he was back in October when he lead the Phillies to a World Championship. Cole has struggled this year at times, and excluding his last start against the Giants where he gave up six earned runs in just five innings, he appeared to be stringing together a few good starts against Florida, San Diego, and Arizona, and he looked like the Hamels of old.

The back end of the rotation, however, is where all the controversy has been brewing for the past few weeks. Three pitchers – J.A. Happ, Jamie Moyer, Pedro Martinez – and only two spots.

Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. filled one of those spots on Wednesday after J.A. Happ tossed a complete game shutout over the Colorado Rockies. Happ upped his record to 8-2 on the year and dropped his ERA to 2.74. Prior to that start, he lost his previous two outings, was faced with swirling trade talk, and had to deal with rumors that he might get moved to the bullpen.

The sheer fact Happ was able to show composure amidst such chaos and toss a gem is one of the reasons he needs to pitch every fifth day. Also, it would be unwise to even consider tinkering with Happ at this point. He is a young hurler who is pitching fantastically for the Phillies right now, and moving him back to the bullpen would not only weaken the rotation, but it would also mess with his confidence. I seem to recall young pitchers named Gavin Floyd and Ryan Madson who went back and forth, and that didn’t work out so well for the Phils now did it?

Next up is the ageless Jamie Moyer. Charlie Manuel mentioned earlier in the week that he wanted Jamie to stay in the rotation, and I almost agree with Charlie to a point. Jamie does lead the team in wins, but he also bolsters a 5.55 ERA, which is worst amongst starters. The reason he has the most wins is primarily because he typically faces one of the opposing team’s worst pitchers, and the Phillies give him a ton of run support. Yes, he does string together a few good outings every so often, but there are too many times like the one on Tuesday where he gave up six earned runs in five innings and walked four batters.

With that said, I still don’t think shipping Jamie off to the bullpen is such a good idea. First of all, Moyer hasn’t pitched in relief since the mid 1990’s. Second, Jamie would be coming into situations where he would have to get out of jams, which a lot of relievers rely on their fastball to do, and let’s face it, an 86 mph fastball isn’t mowing down anyone. Third, being in the bullpen means you have to be ready to pitch almost every day, and I think at age 47, Jamie has earned his four days off in between starts.

Lastly, there is Pedro Martinez, the man for whom all this controversy is over. When Pedro joins the team, he should do so as a member of the bullpen. I honestly don’t think Pedro has what it takes to be an effective starter any more. If he did, he would have had a job for the first four months of the season. He can probably get the job done for one, two, or maybe even three innings, but once lineups begin to face him a second time around, I feel they would start to tee off on him.

Plus, I don’t think Pedro’s arm can last into the seventh inning as a starter. So if you replace Moyer with Pedro, you would be replacing a guy in the rotation who can’t pitch seven innings for a guy who can’t even pitch six innings. That doesn’t exactly help out an already overworked bullpen. As a result, Pedro could pitch either in long relief or maybe take turns making guest appearances with Brett Myers in the ninth inning if Brad Lidge begins to struggle again.

Goodbye Moyer, How Quickly We Forget...

2009-08-07T17:24:00.002-04:00

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the Phillies’ starting pitching rotation. Everyone wants to know who will remain in the rotation and who will go to the bullpen once future hall-of-famer Pedro Martinez is ready for the big leagues. According to local radio stations and Internet message boards, popular opinion seems to be that Jamie Moyer should be the one that is bumped from the rotation. Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the Phillies’ starting pitching rotation. Everyone wants to know who will remain in the rotation and who will go to the bullpen once future hall-of-famer Pedro Martinez is ready for the big leagues. According to local radio stations and Internet message boards, popular opinion seems to be that Jamie Moyer should be the one that is bumped from the rotation.

Sure, Moyer’s start Tuesday night start against Colorado was a rough one, but before that, in the entire month of July, he had a 3.30 earned run average and a four and one record. Most teams would give the world for their fifth starter to put up those kinds of numbers.

Granted, Jamie Moyer struggled throughout the first half of the season, but other than a small hiccup earlier this week, seems to have righted the ship in the second half. Not even supposed “Ace” Cole Hamels has put together a stretch like Moyer did in July this entire season. Looking at the numbers and the logic, it simply makes more sense to put a guy like recently signed Pedro Martinez into the bullpen than it does a guy who is putting up some pretty stellar second half numbers like Moyer.

Think about it. Pedro hasn’t even thrown a Major League pitch this year and by all accounts, probably couldn’t go any more than five innings in a game while Moyer, in his last ten starts, has gone at least six innings in more than half of them. Pedro hasn’t even thrown more than eighty-two pitches this season, a feat that he’s only accomplished once. Not to mention the fact that Martinez even volunteered to pitch out of the bullpen if needed.

On a club that has been as fair as possible to everyone from Chan Ho Park, who no one actually thought would last as a starter, to Brad Lidge, who if not for a perfect 2008 season would be relegated to a mop up role and possibly booed out of Philadelphia, it seems completely ridiculous to simply bump Moyer because he had a shaky first half, especially since he’s been so solid of late.

To make a rash decision based on one poor performance, three nights ago, would be completely unfair to a guy who has done nothing but give everything he has to the Phillies and their fans, including winning sixteen games in 2008 to help lead the team to only it’s second world championship in franchise history. How quickly we forget.

Let's Not Over-Think This Pedro Thing

2009-08-06T17:10:00.004-04:00

So common sense prevailed and Phillies GM Ruben Amaro announced today that JA Happ will remain in the Philadelphia rotation for the remainder of the season. It's not that I doubted the Phillies would do the right thing (given their recent track record, they deserve the benefit of the doubt), it's just that there had been a lot of crazy ideas going around about what will happen once Pedro Martinez is ready to pitch in the big leagues again.

While the Phillies have assured Happ that his spot in the rotation is safe, they have not yet decided how they will sort the rest of the rotation out. Obviously it comes down to Jamie Moyer and Pedro for the 5th slot. There is some talk that the team could go with a six man rotation, but I'm not sure I like this idea. While the Phillies are in good shape as far as the division is concerned, a lot can happen between now and October (just ask a Mets fan). With a six man rotation, you are only limiting the starts of guys like Cliff Lee and Joe Blanton, and in a pennant race you want your best guys out there as often as possible. The Phillies have also discussed doing some "creative" things with the rotation, keeping Lee and Blanton on normal rest and pushing others back here and there. While I give the team credit for trying, I don't like this idea either. Baseball players are creatures of habit. Screwing with their normal preparation routines could end up being more of a hindrance come playoff time if guys aren't used to dialing it up they way they normally do. Also, if the playoffs were today, neither Moyer nor Pedro would be starting a postseason game. Why make all these concessions for guys that ultimately don't matter?

If they really wanted to, I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with the Phillies replacing Jamie Moyer with Pedro when the time comes, but I'm not sure that Martinez will be a whole lot more effective than Moyer as a starting pitcher. At the very least we can safely assume that Martinez won't pitch more innings in his starts than Moyer would. But for all of his warts, Moyer isn't nearly the health risk that Pedro is, and under the right circumstances (generous plate umpire, overly aggressive hitters) the old man can still be very good. Sure, Moyer blows up a little more often than Phillies fans would like, but how do we know it wouldn't be the same story with Pedro? Lost in his gaudy strike out numbers in his minor league starts (a product of throwing changeups and breaking balls to hitters who are mostly still in the minors because they haven't figured out how to hit those pitches) is the fact that Pedro is still giving up a few more runs than you'd like to AA and AAA teams. So if it's a wash, I'd prefer to stay loyal to the guy who has been a major contributor to the organization for three years over the guy who signed late hoping to ride coattails to another World Series title.

To me, the solution seems clear. Put Pedro in the bullpen. Not only because he may not deserve to start, but because he could actually be fantastic as a reliever. If his stuff is as good as the Phillies say it is in his rehab starts, and we know that Pedro's arm is fragile and he won't be eating innings no matter how good he is, why not have him pitch out of the bullpen? If he only has to muster his best stuff for an inning or two at a time, how good could he be? And who cares that the Phillies signed him as a starter? Pedro knew that things could change when he signed on, and he has expressed a willingness to do whatever is necessary. Well things changed. The Phillies don't need him in the rotation right now, they need him in the bullpen. Instead of wasting a bunch of time figuring out how work Pedro into the rotation, why not do what is best for the team? Sometimes the right answer is the most obvious. Get Pedro Martinez ready for the bullpen.

You can read me more often at MikeonthePhillies.com

Wanted: 9 Healthy Starters and an Exorcist

2009-08-05T23:51:00.001-04:00

I’ve not been one to look at injuries as the reason the Mets have been hosting a losing season. With any level of depth, my reasoning has been, the lack of a star or two should be able to be absorbed by the reinforcements and the bench. And as much as I don’t believe you can judge how a team will fare by their play the first few weeks of a season (see: Yankees), the beginning of this season left the Mets looking like there would never be a level of strength and synchronicity on this team for it to dominate the division as it did in 2006, or even contend to the end as it did in 2007 and 2008. The injuries seemed like a convenient excuse for a team that had been believing its own press.

We’ve reached a point now where the reality of how decimated the team has been must be acknowledged. Just in the past 2 days, 3 more injuries and yet another setback for a returning starter. The cries for mercy have been structured as “Imagine what the (insert team name here) would be like if they didn’t have (insert numerous star player names here).” Understanding the Mets this year requires this now be taken to a different level – Imagine if you had 2 or 3 starters on your roster and regularly rotated the remainder of the team onto the field each day from a mix of aged veterans, green pre-rookies, and odds and ends who’ve been recruited for pick-up games in A ball. The New York Mets that are playing the second half of the season are not the team Sports Illustrated ordained pre-season. No one would have ever envisioned this team would exist, and it only does because for 56 more games, a team must be fielded. That they’ve won at all is a testament to the law of averages more than skill. With all the known players occupying the triage unit, it’s a true wonder there’s a team that could possibly have a worse record in their division, let alone in baseball.

Earlier today I quipped that the banner outside New York’s Hospital for Special Surgery should read “Official Clubhouse of the New York Mets.” Somewhere, someone must surely be to blame? Is it the training staff, who some have argued hasn’t put nearly enough effort into making sure their athletes were properly conditioned? It could be, but these athletes have been playing baseball competitively almost since they were children. They didn’t just forget how to run or lose coordination because a trainer didn’t make sure they were properly warmed up.

Maybe this season is simply cursed. There was a rumor pre-opening that in building Citi Field, three Phillies jerseys were buried into the concrete as it was poured by a construction worker from Pennsylvania. When it happened in the Bronx, they dug the Sox jerseys up. I’m not a big believer in curses, but at some point you’ve got to wonder if there’s something to it when players drop like flies in unheard of numbers. Maybe those shirts need to be exhumed so peace can be brought back to Flushing.

This season is history. It would be nice to think a clean slate can begin in 2010. I’m not holding my breath. Citi Field has been devoid of any sense of Mets identity since it opened, and I’m not optimistic that any new championship drapery will be earned any time soon. I’ll still root for my team, but right now I’m still waiting for my team – the whole team - to take the field.

As an aside, lets go back about a month and revisit what I posted on July 8th:

“”For the record, I’ve got some predictions for the second half: I don’t expect Carlos Beltran to return to the team for any appreciable length of time this season. I believe the bruise he has will be found to be a more severe injury that will require more radical treatment. Similarly, I don’t expect Jose Reyes to be able to make a triumphant return, but will rather re-injure his leg quickly and either play out the season at much less than 100% or require season ending surgery. John Maine seems almost inevitably on the road to another medical intervention. Of the major players, I believe Carlos Delgado and Billy Wagner will come back just in time to show they still have enough talent to be worth something on the open market next year.

And unless there’s an epiphany within management or talent well before the end of July, I’m sticking with a prediction I made after just 2 weeks of this season had passed: This team, even healthy, doesn’t have what it takes to win enough, and will end the season in 4th place in the NL East.”

There are still about 8 weeks left to the season, but right now I’m looking like Kreskin. If only I could conjure up 6 good Lotto numbers as easily…

NY Mets 2009 - DNR Now and Save 2010

2009-08-04T11:09:00.001-04:00

After losing three of four to the putrid Arizona Diamondbacks this past weekend, it is pretty safe to say that any hopes of a Mets wildcard berth have pretty much petered out the same way this entire season has. With only 57 regular season games left, the Mets find themselves five games under .500, ten games out of first place and eight games out of the Wildcard with seven teams ahead of them. Though mathematically still alive, let’s face it, folks, our Metsies are currently on life support along with their beleaguered GM and possibly their manager. It’s time to pull the plug and look towards 2010.

As everyone knows, injuries to so many starting players and even key back-up players played a huge role in this disappointing season. At this point, I see no real reason to even try to rush Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran back so they can play at 80% and possibly cause more damage to their fragile selves. Why not shut them down now, let both rest for 2010 and err on the side of caution? Or if Beltran does indeed need that micro fracture surgery, do it now and get it over with so that the ten months it takes to heal does not kill all of next season for him. In fact, if surgery is what he definitely needs, this should have already been done weeks ago after it was deemed the bone bruise was not improving.

As for Delgado, Wagner and Putz, if these players can come back for 2009, by all means they should. As everyone knows, both Delgado and Wagner will be free agents after this year, and Putz is playing for his option year. All three want to come back and prove they are healthy so that the cash bells start ringing in the off-season. This is a can’t lose situation for the Mets. If they can help out, that’s fantastic. If they don’t, well, it was great knowing you, good luck in the future.

The one question mark for an injured players return this year is John Maine. Ah, my adorable Johnny Maine…so young and fragile yet with so much upside...Should the Mets try to rush him back this season just to test that fatigued shoulder and see if they should offer another contract for next year, or do you let him rest, offer a super cheap but incentive-laden deal for 2010 and take your chances? Or do you just walk away for 2010?

Given the amount of money this team has wasted on bad contracts like good old Ollie P’s, I would try my best to keep Maine a Met for 2010. When healthy, he has proven to be pretty reliable for a quality start and has even shown flashes of dominance. I’d trust a healthy Maine with the ball any day over Ollie. Plus, he’s young, seems to have a good team attitude, he’s adorable (worth repeating) and can likely be had for cheap. For a million / million and a half, if it doesn’t work out, you cut your losses and move on. The Mets would probably have an easier time trading a semi-ineffective, reasonably paid John Maine than they would have unloading good old Ollie without having to pay part of his contract.

Now, with all of this being said, I can almost write the script for the rest of the Mets 2009 season…As Murphy’s Law always has it, just as fans completely give up hope and start looking ahead to 2010, this team will give us some small reason to believe that they are not actually dead in the water. Maybe they’ll pull off a string of wins against St. Louis and on their upcoming road trip. Maybe their beards will grow to ZZ Top-like proportions and they’ll make it to .500…It’s okay…Mets fans are like Charlie Brown…we’re used to the football being pulled away at the last second. This year, though, we know that’s how 2009 will end. We’ll be good sports and kick through but we won’t land flat on our backs. It’s up to the Mets front office and how they deal with Reyes and Beltran to make sure 2010 doesn’t begin that way.

The Hottest July in Recent Record

2009-08-03T07:47:00.011-04:00

By Chris Pollay

It’s a good time to be a Philadelphia Phillies fan.

After all, the defending MLB champions are currently leading the National League East comfortably with a five-game lead. True, they just dropped three of four to the San Francisco Giants, but that was the first series the team has lost since one with the Atlanta Braves that concluded on July 2nd.

The team is only going to get better after recently upgrading its roster, adding 2008 Cy Young Winner Cliff Lee, who only gave up four hits and one run in a complete game, his first outing with the Phils. Also of note, he is 4-0 in his last four starts including three complete games with an ERA of 1.32 in that time.

The future indeed looks secure, especially if the recent past is any indication. The team just finished one of its hottest months of July in recent history, carving out an impressive 20-7 (.741) record.

To put that in perspective, consider this: the last time the Phillies won 20 games in one month was back in May of 2001 when the team went 20-8 (.714).

Last month, the team strung together win streaks of four twice and ten once. They only lost back-to-back games twice during the entire month. In that time, the Phillies outscored opponents by a stunning margin of 153 to 97. Incidentally, that was the most runs scored and fewest runs allowed by the ballclub in any month this year.

In fact, the last time the Phils gave up fewer than 100 runs in an entire month (featuring at least 25 games) was June of 2003.

Philadelphia was so dominant that it outscored its opponents by 56 runs in 27 games for an average of more than two runs a game! It’s amazing what can happen when a baseball team clicks on both offense and defense at the same time.

Everybody Pitching In

As of today, the Phillies’ overall team ERA is at 4.37. However, for the month of July, the team tallied a cumulative 3.22 ERA over the course of 246 innings pitched. Only 88 of the 97 runs given up were earned.

Philadelphia pitched three shoutouts and gave up only two runs or less 14 times (and were 14-0 in those games, not too surprisingly). The best aspect about it all, however, was that it was a complete team effort.

Here are some of the starting pitching performances of the month:

Joe Blanton (3-0): 29.2 IP, 22Ks, 1.21 ERA

Cole Hamels (3-1): 37 IP, 29Ks, 4.38 ERA

J.A. Happ (2-2): 40 IP, 31Ks, 2.93 ERA

Cliff Lee (1-0 as a Philly): 9 IP, 6Ks, 1.0 ERA

Rodrigo Lopez (3-1): 27.1 IP, 17Ks, 3.62 ERA

Jamie Moyer (4-1): 30 IP, 15Ks, 3.3 ERA

The Phillies' hurlers were simply much more consistent than they have been the rest of the year, giving up only 65 walks for the month compared to striking out 190 batters. Although, the team did continue with one of its scary statistics: home runs allowed. The team gave up 27 altogether in July, or an average of one a game.

Hitting on All Cylinders

Of course, a team can give up one home run a game if it manages to outhit its opponents thoroughly.

The team smashed 35 homers in July and 247 hits altogether (91 of which were extra base hits). The team batted a cumulative .259 for the month and hit in double digits eleven different times!

Overall, 145 of the 153 runs the team scored were batted in. The team did continue to strikeout often, though, but did show reasonable patience by earning 116 walks (51 more than their opponents in that time).

Like the Phillies’ pitching last month, the team’s hitting was also a result of contributions from almost everybody. Here’s a breakdown of some of the big numbers:

Jayson Werth: 7 HR, 23 RBIs

Ryan Howard: 6 HR, 18 RBIs

Chase Utley: 6 HR, 18 RBIs

Jimmy Rollins: 4 HR, 19 RBIs

Raul Ibañez: 4 HR, 16 RBIs

Shane Victorino: 3 HR, 14 RBIs

Pedro Feliz: 1 HR, 13 RBIs

One hot month can make all the difference in a pennant race. The Phils were actually tied for first place on July 2nd, but by the end of the month they secured a comfortable six-game lead despite playing 13 straight games at the end of July.

Perhaps the brightest statistic, however, is that the team remembered how to win in its own ballpark, accruing a 14-3 home record for the month, giving them an overall record of 27-25. Their home record was an astonishing 13-22 before the start of July.

Who The *%#@ Is Sullivan?

2009-08-02T20:54:00.005-04:00

Maybe I'm a bad writer, or a crappy fan, but I'm running out of things to say about the New York Mets. This season doesn't hold much promise for the post season, but at the same time, they're playing well enough that you can't completely and confidently count them out yet. The front office didn't make any moves by the deadline which to me says, they're not thinking about this year anymore and they'll wait till the off season to see where their current team stands before making moves. And I think I'm OK with that.

I apologize for the title of this post, but this was a text message I sent to my father today. He so kindly responded by telling me that Sullivan has been around for about a week and he believes they brought him up from the minors. Now I haven't been watching religiously lately, because I think I'll have a heart attack if I do, but I've been watching enough that you'd think I would have heard about this. And if not during a game, I watch Sports Center every night and morning, so surely I would have heard about this then right?

Nope. So I decided to look him up. After four seasons in Colorado, Cory Sullivan joined the Mets organization and until Fernando Nieve went on the disabled list, he was playing in Buffalo on the Mets Triple-A team. In his 11 games with Mets he's batting .267. I know I was mocking him before, but now I'm slightly surprised I hadn't heard of him. He's not an all-star but he seems to be solid enough.

As much as I love the Mets and am glad they haven't rolled over, even though it seems like a lost cause, there is a part of me that wishes they would. For the past few seasons, they've strung us along, played with our hearts and then blown it. As much as it seems like it's over, part of me still thinks they're going to make a run and get close (at least to the Wild Card). Maybe that's the crazy fan in me that can't give up, but I honestly think it's a possibility.

Am I crazy? Probably. But at least I now know who the *%@# Sullivan is.

Phillies Plus Cliff Lee Minus Four Prospects Equals World Series?

2009-08-02T01:27:00.002-04:00

Last week, my post was critical of Ruben Amaro, Jr. because I felt he should put Drabek out there and get the best pitcher in the Majors this season in Doc Halladay. I still don't think I was wrong, but I'm incredibly impressed with the trade Ruben pulled off with the Indians to get reigning Cy Young winner Cliff Lee.

The Phillies got Cliff Lee and a desperately needed right-handed bat in OF Ben Francisco for RHPs Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, catcher Lou Marson and SS Jason Donald. Carrasco is the second-best pitching prospect the Phils had in their system behind Drabek, and Knapp is an 18-year-old who has a 98 mph fastball. Lou Marson hasn't been talked about much in trade talks, but he's a reliable catcher and will fill in nicely for the recently traded Victor Martinez. Finally, Jason Donald, the shortstop who's been trapped behind J-Roll for a while, was traded as well.

All in all, what did the Phillies really give up? The farm system is a little weakened now, but none of Amaro's real “untouchables” were traded. Drabek is still in the minors and J.A. Happ is still in the Phillies rotation. We got a fantastic left-handed fly ball pitcher and a versatile outfielder in Francisco.

Cliff Lee might not be Halladay, but getting a Cy Young winner without selling the farm is pretty remarkable.

Take his first game against the Giants on Friday. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth and wound up with a complete game win, giving up just four hits and one run. He also doubled his career total in hits with two and was only a few feet away from a home run.

Francisco has come in pretty handy too. Mid-week Shane Victorino bruised his knee in Arizona and Francisco was there to fill in. He was solid in the outfield and looked decent enough at the plate.

The trade isn't perfect though. First, Cliff Lee is another LHP, which means the Phillies now have just one RHP in the starting rotation in Blanton (who didn't pitch a terrific game yesterday, but also got no run support in the Phils 2-0 shutout loss against the Giants). Also, one of their starting pitchers (this including Pedro Martinez) will now have to go to the bullpen which creates a bit of tension. It also basically renders them useless to pitch as a starter in the playoffs if they pitch often in the bullpen.

Look, I'm not complaining. The only person who is complaining about this trade is Howard Eskin, who's an ass anyway. Lee's 7-9 record with the Indians is deceptive because they gave him no run support, and except for last night the Phillies have provided plenty of that and more. All in all, this trade looks like it could be the one to not only sets them up for a World Series run this year, but also keeps Drabek, Happ and Dominic Brown for runs in the future.

Lee - Francisco Trade Turns Out Great

2009-08-01T13:10:00.006-04:00

Going into the sixth inning in last night’s game between the Phillies and Giants, Philly fans knew that they had something special. Newly acquired Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians was pitching a no-hitter with one out in the sixth when Juan Uribe slapped a double down the right field line. Giants’ fans stood and gave a standing ovation. That is how well respected Lee is around baseball. Though the Phillies didn’t get Blue Jays’ Roy Halladay, many will say that they are pretty content with Lee. Not only was Lee the 2008 Cy Young Award winner, but his leadership and presence in the Phillies clubhouse will add an extra push through the postseason, and hopefully into the World Series. Lee ended up pitching a complete game against the Giants, giving up only one earned run on 4 hits while striking out six and walking two. Not bad for someone who has never faced a national league team with the exception of interleague play.

Not only did Lee pitch superbly, but he also helped the Phillies offensively as well going two for four with a single and his first career double. Again, not bad for someone who got probably 7-8 at-bats during an entire season. Lee was most definitely a complete package Friday night in San Francisco, something that Phillies fans hope to see more often. The Phillies were an almost definite for the playoffs before they acquired Lee, and now they might have what it takes to make it to the World Series. Now I’m not saying that it is going to be easy, but if the Phils starting staff keeps it up, and the offense keeps swingin’ the bats like they know how, a repeat in 2009 is not out of the question.

Now that the 2009 trade deadline is over and the Roy Halladay saga is officially over, Phils fan may find it easy to forget how Lee made it to the Phillies. Thanks to the Phils general manager, Ruben Amaro Jr., the Phillies were able to bring one of baseball’s premier starting pitchers to the team while avoiding giving up some of their best prospects. If Lee continues his dominant performance in the National League, and continues swinging the bat (haha), the Lee trade could go down in Phillies history as one of their best trades ever.

Another key fact that Philly fans may tend to forget as they continue to praise and watch the great Lee purely dominate on the mound, is the second part they acquired in the trade. Outfielder Ben Francisco has started in Shane Victorino’s place, who is suffering from a bruised knee, and has turned out to be a great pickup for the Phils. He fills the role of a right-handed bat the Phillies had been seeking since last offseason. Though Francisco only went one for four in last night’s game, he showed off his power and how he could contribute to the ball club. In his first at-bat, Francisco drilled a one hopper to third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who couldn’t handle the heat. In his next three at-bats he hit a double off the left field wall, and nearly two homers that would have left Citizens Bank Ballpark if the Phils were playing at home. The power and hopefully consistency is a sign for the Phillies that Francisco is someone who can be relied on to contribute a few clutch base hits as September and the playoffs creep upon them.

I know it’s only been two games since Lee and Francisco joined the Phillies, but with their performances so far, the Phillies have a lot to look forward to for the rest of the regular season, and far deep into the playoffs.

Two Birds, One Stone and the Defending Champs...

2009-07-31T14:33:00.003-04:00

On the heels of one of the most hyped and rumored potential trades in Philadelphia Phillies history, involving acquiring storied right handed pitcher Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. appears to have snuck in the back door and snagged a different front line starter, along with a capable right handed bat, instead of giving up top prospects Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown, along with major league starter J.A. Happ for Halladay, to help carry his team into the postseason for a third consecutive year.

While there have already been numerous stories printed, written, spoken and blogged about the centerpiece of the deal, 2008 American League Cy Young Award winner Cliff Lee, what really puts this deal over the top is that the Phils also made off with a very capable right handed bat to bring off of the bench in the name of Ben Francisco.

Francisco, twenty eight years old from Santa Ana, CA, may be just what the Phils were looking for, aside from a starting pitcher. He is a right handed hitter with pop in his bat and even has some speed to burn on the base paths. In three hundred and eight at bats this season, Francisco is only hitting .250 but has compiled ten homeruns and even stolen thirteen bases so far, numbers that the Phils will be more than happy with from a pinch hitter and utility outfielder.

What may be getting overlooked about Ben Francisco is that he not only gives Phillies manager Charlie Manuel some much needed pop off the bench from the right side, but also some speed as well. In recent years Manuel has loved the ability to put guys like Michael Bourn and Chris Roberson in to pinch run late in games to have that extra burst of speed on the bases that guys like Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz simply don’t have. For the most part in fact, he has been without a guy like that since 2007, until now.

All in all, the acquisition of Cliff Lee is of course, the thing that puts the Phillies in prime position to at least get back to the post seeason, for a third consecutive year, but in the National League, where the benches are such a factor because of pinch hitting for pitchers, Ben Francisco makes the Phillies, arguably one of the best benches in all of baseball and may help lift them through the playoffs and back into the World Series. Kudos to Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies for going out and doing what it takes to make their already impressive team better without giving away the entire future.

Rotation Fixed, Now What About the Phillies Bullpen?

2009-07-30T21:44:00.004-04:00

It wasn't Roy Halladay, but the Phillies filled needs for a top of the rotation starter and a righty bat off the bench yesterday when they traded for Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco. So that makes the Phillies the clear favorite in the National League, right? Well, yes and no. The deal with Cleveland certainly gave them a formidable top of the rotation to go along with the best offense in the league, but a July hot streak has hidden what could be the Phillies' Achilles heal come October: the bullpen.

JC Romero, Chad Durbin, and Clay Condrey all currently on the DL, depleting the Philadelphia relief corps. But the offense had been scoring a lot of runs of late, and combined with some good starting pitching, the bullpen's problems have been somewhat mitigated, save for the all too common Brad Lidge heart attack special. But therein lies the biggest issue...

With baseball's non-waiver trade deadline less than 24 hours away, it appears that the Phillies have finished dealing and therefore bullpen help might not be on the way from outside the organization. I don't see this as a problem for two reasons. First, trading for a reliever from outside of the organization can be a crap shoot. You never really know what you're going to get, but you know you're not going to get a fresh arm. And a couple of those are what the Phillies need right now. It's not like the fatigue on a reliever's arm resets when he gets traded to a new team.

Second, it's very possible that reinforcements are on the way within the next few weeks, provided fill-ins like Kyle Kendrick and Tyler Walker can hold down the fort for that long. When Pedro Martinez is ready to pitch in the major leagues, either he or JA Happ will be sent to the bullpen, and either has the potential to make a major impact in that role. Rodrigo Lopez could be given a shot in the bullpen after tonight's start, but he could also be placed on waivers, sent to the minors if unclaimed, or even traded. Brett Myers is currently in Clearwater rehabbing from hip surgery and hopes to join the team as a reliever in mid to late August. So with Ryan Madson, Chan Ho Park, and Scott Eyre still performing reliably in middle relief and set-up roles, it is safe to say that that part of the bullpen should be fine the rest of the way and won't likely have an adverse effect on the Phillies division title chances. The problem comes in the playoffs. The problem is Brad Lidge.

Anyone who has been paying attention this season knows that Brad Lidge has been really bad. Here we are, almost in August, and Lidge's ERA is still over 7.00. It's not just the blown saves. It's the shaky saves. It's the cardiac saves. It's the runs given up in tie games. I don't know a single Phillies fan who trusts Brad Lidge in the 9th inning with the game on the line. But I don't think the he will prevent the team from winning the division. The NL East is weak and the Phillies have enough fire power elsewhere to cover for him. But he very well could prevent the Phillies from repeating as World Champs.

I'm not sure anyone really knows for sure what the problem is with Lidge this season. One would think that he is almost certainly hurt, but he spent some time on the DL this season and it didn't seem to help. I also think that he is a bit of a headcase. We saw this at times when he was with Houston (he was available for trade in the "needs change of scenery" bin), but we didn't see it last year in Philly because he never had a reason to get down on himself, what with being perfect in save chances and recording the final out of the World Series and everything. But this year I think injuries have affected him to an unknown degree and he's let some bad outings snowball on him mentally. The bad news for the Phillies is that I think they are stuck with him as a closer, and their chances of a repeat rest on his right arm.

Brad Lidge signed a massive contract extension last season, and Charlie Manuel sticks by his guys. We've seen this pay off with guys like Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth eventually coming through with the confidence of their manager. Also, with a trade unlikely, it does not appear that the Phillies have any alternatives. Ryan Madson proved that he could not handle the 9th inning earlier in the season. Chan Ho Park has been the only other consistent reliever all season and it is doubtful that he would be removed from his multiple inning role. Brett Myers was a fantastic closer for the Phillies in 2007, but his return is not guaranteed. Even if it was, I still think Charlie would stick by his guy. He has given no indication that he wouldn't. So in the absence of any viable alternatives and with a manager who has given no indication that his confidence in Lidge is wavering, the Phillies only option is for their closer to figure this thing out at some point. While it is certainly possible that this could happen, nothing about Lidge's performance gives anyone any confidence that it will. Well, except for Charlie Manuel, the only person who's confidence (or lack thereof) actually matters. The rest of us are stuck. We have no choice but to ride this Brad Lidge roller coaster and hope that it comes to a complete stop somewhere near Broad Street, and when we get out, disoriented but exhilarated, there will be a another parade waiting for us.

The Judgement Judges

2009-07-30T00:09:00.000-04:00

By now I need not rehash the three-ring circus known as the New York Mets front office. Actually, it now seems the Wilpon’s administrative wing could be more accurately referred to as the rear office.

Firing Bernazard? Good move, Omar. Attacking Adam Rubin? Bad move, Omar. I think we’re all in agreement on these things. That is, if you’re not including Omar or the Wilpons in “we.”

Why? Well, in the firing phase of the main circus event, both Omar and Jeff Wilpon made it clear they both had deep respect for Tony Bernazard and considered him a friend. So, one must ask, what could possibly lead one to consider as deeply respected a man who himself exhibited, from all accounts, absolutely no respect for those under his watch? Either poor Tony has been judged harshly during years and years of chronicled questionable behavior, or those who ultimately wielded the axe have to have their own judgment questioned by virtue of their chosen bedfellows. How do you even begin to express your deep respect in the same breath as you terminate that person’s employment based on their behavior? It’s like saying you admire a person who has been convicted of DWI for their ability to hold their liquor.

The next breach of judgment is Omar’s decision to single out Adam Rubin as though he caused Bernazard’s actions. Adam Rubin was not the voice in Tony Bernazard’s head guiding him through what seems to be years of bizarre behavior. Adam Rubin was merely the messenger. Omar might consider that shooting the messenger may not be the best career strategy for someone who’s calling press conferences.

The upshot of this all may actually be coming to light, as it’s now been reported that the Wilpons have expressed that Omar’s days may be numbered. They should be. Even in apologizing to Rubin, Omar defended his actions, and it later became somewhat clear that the apology was given from a child who’d been taken to the woodshed. Magnanimity is obviously as foreign a concept for the stammering GM as maintaining a positive public image seems to be for the club as a whole.

Be all this as it may, I’m certainly capable of believing that everyone can have a particularly bad moment within an truly unfortunate day as part of a really crappy week. For that, I’m more than capable of mustering forgiveness for a man who may, at some point – maybe Thursday during the 3rd press conference in 4 days – appear to be truly repentant. Omar was upset, and chose the wrong place to vent and the wrong person to spew venom toward. I can forgive that moment of irrationality if I’m convinced of the contrition.

But Omar himself needs to have history reviewed and needs to now be judged by his actions and performance in total. He may be due forgiveness for some trades he’s made that didn’t pan out wonderfully for the team. Who of us has a flawless crystal ball? If we are to believe his convoluted reasoning, he may be due forgiveness for flying to the west coast to fire his manager at 3AM in what had been, until this week, the greatest Mets media fiasco since the club’s inception. Maybe Omar should have these sorts of “big bads” tempered by some achievements, such as bringing Johan and K-Rod to Queens. So grading by big plusses versus big minuses, Omar can be judged to be right in the middle. Mr. 50%. The Wilpons may be alright with that sort of grade for their GM, but after weighing all the considerations no one in their right mind can defend Omar as the best man for this job by virtue what should be considered the grandest tipping point on the New York baseball scale of good judgment:

Oliver Perez’s contract.

Omar simply doesn’t deserve more chances. These laughing-stock weeks have allowed the window to be opened for him to be judged by the judgments he’s made. The Wilpons are being judged precisely in that same manner by every fan who considers buying an expensive ticket to a home game. Right now, the Wilpons are also failing miserably. Right the ship, cut your losses, clean your slate and get back to performing well both on and off the field. What’s been going on these past few years is shameful, and responsible ownership needs to make responsible judgements to fix that.

Just to be clear, I’ve never asked anyone about getting a job in baseball. And if the Wilpons had any public relations and crisis control skills, Adam Rubin would be starting his job as Director of Corporate Communications on Monday.

The Old Man on the Mound

2009-07-28T12:40:00.010-04:00

By Chris Pollay

Living in Phoenix now, I rarely get an opportunity to watch the Phillies at the ballpark. However, last night I was treated to a fantastic performance, especially since I had never seen Jamie Moyer pitch live and in-person before. The Southpaw may be turning 47 later this year, but last night he pitched with the heart and determination of a man in his prime.

It didn't start that way, though. Early on, he was battered and bruised by Arizona and the home crowd enjoyed some good natured kidding about the veteran's vintage age. Some of my favorite lines included: "Hey Jamie, you don't need to pitch. Just collect your social security."

Or, "Moyer, why am I yelling at you? There's no way you can hear me at your age."

In the first three innings, Moyer indeed looked rattled by the Diamondback hitters. His control was shaky as he gave up walks and base hits like candy at Halloween.

In fact, the D-Backs had two baserunners on in the first, three in the second and two in the third.

But the old man was stubborn and crafty. At one point, I was convinced he was on the ropes. He faced the worst situation a pitcher can face: bases loaded with no outs. Yet, he got out of it without giving up a single run. Strikeout. Double play. Wow.

At that point, the home crowd turned its attention to complaining about the D-Backs players for not stepping up and the insults about retirement and walking canes slowly faded away. Moyer regained control and ended up pitching quite a gem: no runs in 6 2/3 innings. He left the game with a 6 to 0 lead well on his way to his tenth victory of the season.

The tone of the crowd had changed a lot by then. One Phillies fans turned to his neighbors in Diamondback red and said, "Can you believe he came into the game tonight with a 9-7 record and he's 46? Isn't that amazing?"

Of course, the home fans had to agree. The old man is pitching in his 23rd season in the major leagues. He's a journeyman who has played for seven different teams. He has pitched in a whopping 657 games! He has notched 256 wins and over 2,300 strikeouts.

And, he has accomplished all of that by pitching a fastball that clocks in around 80 mph. How? Simple. He is a finesse pitcher and he never stops working hard and studying the game.

I'll be the first to admit I haven't been crazy about the fact that Moyer's ERA has been north of 5.0 this year, but I will always acknowledge that the man is one Hell of a workhorse.

I saw that firsthand last night. He firmly stood his ground when his control failed him and he trudged his way through the hard innings pretty much on willpower alone. On a night when he could have easily given in and sat early (thus, taxing the bullpen), he opted to face his struggles head on, eat up some innings, and come away with a gutty performance that I won't forget anytime soon.

Well done, old man. Well done, indeed.

In the bottom of the 7th inning last night, the Phillies met
on the mound to discuss Moyer's upcoming 47th birthday
in November (if my lip-reading is accurate). I believe Charlie
Manuel said: "We are considering throwing you a surprise
party, but nobody wants to give you a heart attack, Jamie."