Distractions Not Distracting the Phillies

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.
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Lucky 13 for the Phillies

By Chris Pollay

The Philadelphia Phillies headed into the All-Star break riding a nice hot streak. Then, they swiftly picked up the trail right where they left off (once the American League proceeded with its annual beatdown of the National League anyway).

The Phils (51-38) are officially the hottest team in baseball having won eight straight and 12 of their last 13 games, including three-game sweeps of the New York Mets, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Florida Marlins.

It’s not difficult to see why the team has been so effective lately: they have boasted a 2.40 ERA during the last 13 games (120 innings altogether) with three shutouts. They also have outhit opponents with a margin of 129 to 89 in that time.

The Phils have won a few squeakers, to be sure, but most games in July (when the Phils are 12-3 right now) have been blowouts. In fact, during the last 13 games, the Phillies have outscored the opposition 81 to 32.

The pitching has stepped up big time and rookie J.A. Happ, now 7-0, has helped lead the charge. Jamie Moyer seems to be finding his rhythm as he has gone 3-0 for July beating the Mets, Reds and Marlins. Joe Blanton has also heated up in July, winning his last two games in which he only gave up one earned run in over 14 innings. He beat two quality starters in the Mets’ Johan Santana and the Pirates’ Zach Duke.

The only loss in the past 13 games was attributed to Brad Lidge when the Reds got the best of him. Lights Out Lidge has been more like “Leave the LIghts On” Lidge lately as he has an earned run in three of his last four outings. Still, despite his occasional flare for the dramatic, he has recorded five saves in July and his last Blown Save occurred back on June 6.

In addition to the improved pitching, the Phils have lit up opposing pitchers like Roman candles all throughout the month. Perhaps the Most Improved Player of the month should go to leadoff man Jimmy Rollins who has batted .388 (21 for 54) in the last 13 games. He only has one homer since July 3rd, but he has filled up all the other offensive stats impressively: 13 runs, eight RBIs, ten walks, and five stolen bases. As Jimmy goes, so do the Phils.

Of course, it hasn’t hurt that second baseman Chase Utley has knocked in four home runs and 13 RBIs, scoring 11 runs during the 12-1 blitz. He is batting .372 (19 of 51) in that time. In the same frame, Shane Victorino has batted .370 (20 of 54) and contributing heavily with 11 runs, nine walks and six RBIs.

Jason Werth has continued to step up. In his last 13 games, he has batted only .250 (11 for 44), but he had made the most of his hits with five homers and 14 RBIs. He’s also scored seven runs and showed more patience, earning eleven walks. Slugger Ryan Howard has also showed more control of late, having earned 13 walks in the last 13 games. Of course, he’s also inflicted some damage with three home runs, nine runs, and eight RBIs by batting .307 (12 of 39).

Perhaps the best sign of things to come is the return of Raul Ibañez, who has helped carry the team recently. He’s only played in five games since returning from the DL, but he has hit a scorching .368 (7 for 19) with two home runs, six RBIs and five runs.


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The Phillies' Mid-Season Report Card

By Chris Pollay

At the midpoint of the 2009 MLB season, the Phillies remain safe at first in the National League East with a record of 48-38. Most of their four-game cushion over Florida is due to the team catching fire of late, winning nine of its last ten games.

While first place is exactly where the Phils would hope to be at this point, it’s hard to imagine that the team is completely satisfied with its overall performance. Sure, they have suffered quite a few injuries and they’ve overcome some occasional bouts of bad luck and streaky superstars, but most probably feel that they are better than their current record indicates.

Regardless, the team has been impressive at times in the first half of 2009 and I have a good feeling about the rest of the year. In fact, two comeback games, one early in the year and one more recently, have convinced me that this team will be THE FORCE to be reckoned with come October.

Remember back in April when the Phillies received their 2008 Championship Rings? The Braves had beaten them up during the first two games of the season and held a 10 to 3 lead heading into the bottom of the 7th when the Phillies erupted for eight runs to take the lead: 11 to 10. They held on to win, refusing to lose on the day that honored last year’s World Series win.

Then, just this past Saturday, the team was up against the ropes, down 7 to 3 in the bottom of the ninth. Before you could blink, Stairs connected for a solo shot and Howard tied the game up with a three-run bomb. The Phils won shortly after by an 8 to 7 margin with no need of extra innings.

This team is absolutely fearless and can step it up a notch or three when they have to mainly because they have the one of the most dangerous offenses in the National League. In fact, they are first in the NL in the following category totals: runs (460); home runs (122); slugging percentage (.452); OPS, a.k.a. on base plus slugging percentage (.793); and total bases (1,343).

Five players earned All-Star bids this year (Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibañez), three of which comprise arguably the MLB’s best outfield. They are complemented by a very strong infield, as well.

Four players on the team have hit at least 20 home runs already: Howard (22), Ibañez (22), Werth (20) and Utley (20). Not surprisingly, those four players have also hit over 50 RBIs: Howard (67), Utley (61), Ibañez (60) and Werth (56).

Having such an arsenal at its disposal has helped the team achieve an outstanding road record (and MLB best) 26-15. It also helps that the team leads the NL with the best fielding percentage of .990.

Another good sign for the ballclub is that Manager Charlie Manuel has trusted in his players to show up when its needed the most. He did call for a recent “closed door meeting,” but Manuel does not ride the team too hard. He has no need of it. He knows what they are capable of achieving. After all, the team completely dominated the Mets in a crucial series a little over a week ago showing that the team will show up when first place is on the line.

There has been a lot to be happy about, to be sure, but there have been a few alarm bells, as well. The pitching has been quite uninspired, both starting and bullpen, though the starting pitchers especially need to improve much more in the next few months. The team ranked badly in the National League in many pitching categories: total losses (38), 15th; home runs allowed (123), 16th; earned runs (398), 14th; hits allowed (809), 13th; and runs scored (412), 11th.

Some of the pitching problems may be addressed before the upcoming trade deadline, but the team’s regular workhorses (Hamels 4.87 ERA, Blanton 4.44 ERA, Moyer 5.99 ERA, etc.) need to be far more consistent and give up a lot fewer runs. Understandably, some of it is due to pitchers staying on the mound despite injuries (Lidge 7.03 ERA, for example), but the numbers are simply too high for a championship ballclub.

It also should be noted that J.A. Happ has been outstanding this season with a 6-0 record and an ERA of only 2.90.

Another weakness to be addresses is that the team needs to win more at home. Their record is only 22-23. However, the team seems to be in the process of correcting this flaw as it had won five straight home games heading into the All-Star break and nine out of its last ten.

One bad symptom for the team that bothers me personally has been its interleague record. Everybody says such games mean nothing, and yet, the Phillies would be up by seven games in the division right now if they had only won half of them.

Instead, the AL East pounded the Phils this season, winning 12 of 18 games (.333 winning percentage for the Phillies). Of course, there won’t be anymore interleague games in the regular season but it would be nice to know they play the American League better in case they meet up again in the World Series.

Overall, though, the prognosis is positive. Despite some tough times, inconsistency and injuries, the team has stayed at first in its division since May 30. With a few more players healing up more, a few heating up more (Rollins in particular) and a few key acquisitions (Halladay and Martinez?), the Phils could stand to improve immensely and will undoubtedly be the heavy favorites come the playoffs.

It will be interesting to see if the Phils can turn things on again come September, like they have the past two seasons. In fact, last October, they were almost unbeatable (11-3). This year’s team could duplicate that feat if all the cylinders are firing at the right time.

For now, the team gets a solid B for its mid-season grade. The complaints are relatively minor. They have some weaknesses, but management seems to be addressing them and the team is definitely regaining its focus. I believe the pitching will improve quite a bit. No doubt, the Phils will be back up to their “A” game before too long. Read more!

Phillies making headlines off as well as on the field

The Phillies are 7-1 on their current homestand, bouncing back from an atrocious road trip. They swept the hated Mets, took three of four from the Reds, and took game one of the three-game series versus the Pirates. Their offense, led by the revival of Jimmy Rollins, seems to have found its groove. The starting pitching is living up to its expectations by going deeper into games and not giving up many runs. The bullpen is finally starting to hold on at the end of games.

These things alone will have any Phillies fan talking enthusiastically about the team, especially since all of the above were things that weren’t really clicking in the opening months of the 2009 campaign. The team couldn’t win at home, Jimmy Rollins looked lost, and the pitching was in shambles. However, it is the off-the-field rumors and activities that are making Philadelphia the new windy city.

It was earlier in the week that Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi made a statement that the team is now willing to talk trade for their ace pitcher, Roy Halladay. Halladay is 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA this season and would certainly be a valuable acquisition to a team already defending a world championship and whose starting rotation has a slew of injuries. What Ricciardi neglected to mention was that the Jays basically have Halladay tied to a chair with a blindfold on and are reading off a list of demands if anyone wants him. From the Phillies, who seem to be one of the top suitable teams interested, Ricciardi literally wants the farm (Drabek, Taylor, and Donald for starters) as well as some starting pitching as well (Happ). Although the 32-year old pitcher would be that vital Game 2 starter in the playoffs the Phillies would so desperately need if they wish to repeat, is he really worth significantly overpaying this much?

The Phillies are also said to have interest in former three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez. The 37-year old pitcher has been out of baseball this season but has had a few teams show interest in him as of late. This week Martinez threw a three inning simulated game for the Phillies at their Dominican Republic complex. Sources say that Pedro’s agent is in constant talks with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., as well as other teams, but it looks like the Phillies seem to be Martinez’s top choice. Pedro’s most recent stint came with the New York Mets, where they grossly overpaid for a pitcher who, in four years, only yielded them 32 wins. I am certain that the Mets will be more than thrilled to see the Phillies sign a pitcher that even they didn’t want.

On a lighter note, earlier in the week, the MLB All Star Game’s rosters were finalized, and the Phillies are well-represented. Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel will be managing the NL squad, and second basemen Chase Utley and outfielder Raul Ibanez were named starters to the team. Manuel then named first baseman Ryan Howard to the roster to back up at first base as well. On Thursday, Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino won the fan choice with over 15 million votes for the final roster spot. Then on Friday, Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth was named to the team to replace Mets injured outfielder Carlos Beltran.

Friday also saw the end of Chris Coste’s career as a Philadelphia Phillie. Coste was waived by the team yesterday to make room on the roster for Raul Ibanez, who returned off the disabled list before Friday night’s 3-2 victory over the Pirates. Coste spent 11 years in the minor leagues before actually making the Phillies roster four years ago at age 33. In his time in Philadelphia, he batted .282 with 23 home runs and 98 RBI’s.

The Phillies still have two games left against the Pirates before heading into the all star break, which ironically doesn’t appear to be much of a break for a lot of their players. The team is playing hot right now, and history has shown us that their best baseball has yet to come, although most fans believe that a roster move needs to be made if the team is going to win down the stretch. Read more!

The Long Ball in the Long Season

by Chris Pollay

Over a third of the long, long baseball season is officially in the books and the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets rest atop the National League East in a tight race. However, neither team is playing remotely well at the moment, and the Phils currently seem to be trying to give up their division lead by losing eight of nine games heading into today. The Mets, however, appear to have no interest in taking it as they have stalled with a 3-8 record in their last eleven games.

On the plus side for the Mets, they have pitched much better than Philadelphia all year. In fact, their team ERA is 4.25 through 67 games. Meanwhile, the Phils have struggled alarmingly with a team average of 4.79 (also through 67 games) and have given up 101 long balls to the opposition.

It’s been much worse of late, too.

When the Phils were recently swept by Toronto, the Blue Jays scored a staggering 23 runs in three games. In the prior series against the Red Sox, Boston tallied in 22 runs, taking two of three. During the first two games in the interleague Baltimore series, the team gave up another 13 runs in two losses. That’s 58 runs in eight games, which averages out to an ERA over 7.0.

Philadelphia’s pitching has been missing a few cylinders, yet despite that, the ballclub still precariously leads somehow. (Fortunately, Cole Hamels showed some positive signs of life by only allowing two earned runs yesterday, but that was only the third time this month the Phils' staff have allowed two or less runs.)

So, how in the world have the Phillies captured the division lead with such a high team ERA?

The reason is simple: they have been able to rely on hitting the long ball quite well themselves. As bad as their arms have been, the bats continue to be off the charts.

True, the Mets have hit for a higher average (Mets: .277 average; Phils: .259 average), but the Phils have unquestionably inflicted more damage per swing.

The Liberty Bell Bombers have a jaw-dropping 98 homers as a team, compared to the Mets hitting only 43.

Raul Ibanez (who will be sorely missed while on the DL) has hammered 22. Ryan Howard has notched 20. Chase Utley has racked up 15. Jayson Werth has knocked out an even dozen. Nobody on the Mets is even in double-digit homer territory through the season’s first 67 games. Read more!