Voice of a Die-Hard Phillies Fan

Recent additions create competition this spring

2012-02-01T08:53:00.000-05:00

The Phillies have made quite a few potential low-risk, high-reward additions this off-season that could help the team in 2012.

This week they added the speedy veteran outfielder Juan Pierre on a minor league deal and reliever Chad Qualls on a one-year pact.

The team has a few roster spots to fill during spring training and while Qualls is expected to join the big club, Pierre has his work cut out for him while he looks to earn one of the vacant spots.

Examining the offense, Charlie Manuel usually carries five bench players. First, the players guaranteed a spot barring injury:

C: Carlos Ruiz
1B/OF: John Mayberry Jr.
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Jimmy Rollins
3B: Placido Polanco
OF: Shane Victorino
OF: Hunter Pence
Bench: Jim Thome
Bench: Laynce Nix
Bench: Ty Wigginton
Bench: Brian Schneider

That leaves two open spots while Ryan Howard is on the DL; one on the bench and one in the outfield, assuming Mayberry gets the lion's share of the play at first base.

Michael Martinez is likely to come back, especially after Wilson Valdez was dealt away. That would leave one spot for an outfielder, and it likely could come down to Domonic Brown and Pierre.

Pierre has one thing working in his favor: Brown is unlikely to be a bench player.

Brown needs at bats to become an every day player. If he doesn't win the left field job outright in spring training, expect him to return to the minors which should open a spot for Pierre as a pinch-hitter/runner and occasional starter.

Of course, injuries could always wreak havoc on these plans, or Ruben Amaro Jr. could have something else up his sleeve.

Pitchers and Catchers report in less than three weeks!

Phils sign Pineiro, Moyer receives offer

2012-01-17T09:01:00.000-05:00

The Phillies added some pitching depth, signing right-hander Joel Pineiro to a minor league contract.

Pineiro went 7-7 with a 5.13 ERA in 27 appearances for the Angels last season. He has 104 career victories with a 4.41 ERA over 1,754 innings pitched.

Breaking into the league in 2000, Pineiro spent his first six seasons with the Seattle Mariners. His experiment in Boston in 2007 was short lived, as he was shipped to St. Louis after just 34 innings with an ERA above five.

His most successful season in St. Louis was his last, when he won 15 games with a 3.49 ERA in 2009. He spent the last two seasons with the Angels, winning ten games with a 3.84 ERA in 2010 but struggling last season.

Pineiro has been invited to join the Phillies at Spring Training.

Another veteran pitcher receiving a minor league contract offer is Jamie Moyer, as the Colorado Rockies offered the 49-year-old a deal.

Moyer missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John Surgery. Colorado is likely more interested in what Moyer has to offer them off the field rather than on it. With a youthful rotation and a man who's been pitching since 1986, why not take a shot? Either way, Phillies' fans will certainly be rooting for him.

Phils exploring Kerry Wood, keeping Brad Lidge on the radar

2012-01-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

The Phillies have been in contact with free agent relief pitcher Kerry Wood. The veteran starter turned setup man would help to relieve concerns about the back end of the bullpen behind closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Antonio Bastardo and Michael Stutes were tremendous in the setup role for much of last season, but both struggled mightily down the stretch.

The asking price for Wood, thought to be around $4 million for one-year, may be the biggest obstacle in him landing in Philly.

Ruben Amaro Jr. has already stated that the payroll is "well past where [they] want it to be."

Wood, who went 3-5 with a 3.35 ERA in 55 games last season would be an intriguing addition. However, it seems Amaro is more likely to explore cheaper options.

The Phils have also remained in contact with Brad Lidge, while the Angels appear to be the front runner. Let's face it, the Angels are likely to be the odds on favorites to win it all this year, while Lidge has witnessed the Phillies get older and further away from another World Series championship each season. Most people would consider Anaheim a more desirable destination and while Philadelphia remains one of the best teams and baseball cities in the league, I can't really argue at this point.

Phils add Dontrelle Willis

2011-12-13T13:28:00.000-05:00

The D-Train will run through Citizen's Bank Park in 2012.

The Phillies agreed to a one-year contract with left handed pitcher, Dontrelle Willis worth less than $1 million plus incentives.

It's a classic low risk, high reward situation. Willis posted double digit wins for the Marlins from 2003-2007 before struggling mightily over parts of four seasons with Detroit, Arizona and Cincinnati. He was 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA last season for the Reds. In his first season with the Tigers, he was 0-2 with a 9.38 ERA.

The Phillies plan to use him as an addition left handed reliever out of the bullpen. Lefties bat just .127 against Willis last season.

Phils trade Francisco to Toronto for reliever

2011-12-12T15:58:00.000-05:00

The Phillies shipped Ben Francisco to the Toronto Blue Jays this afternoon for minor league left-handed relief pitcher Frank Gailey.

The Philadelphia native is 23-15 with a .245 ERA in 175 career appearances in the minors.

Francisco fell a long way in a short period of time with the Phillies. After winning the opening day left fielder position last year, he quickly dropped further and further down Charlie Manuel's bench. With John Mayberry Jr. and Laynce Nix now expected to occupy left field together and a few more additions to the bench, there was no room for Benny.

Francisco hit .259 in parts of three seasons with the Phils with 17 home runs and 75 RBI. The biggest moment in his Phillies' career came in Game 3 of this season's NLDS when his pinch-hit, three-run shot lifted the Phillies over the Cardinals and gave them what appeared to be a stranglehold on the series.

Rollins' return could be imminent

2011-12-08T08:53:00.000-05:00

It appears the Phillies and Jimmy Rollins are close to agreeing on a new contract.

The Milwaukee Brewers, thought to be the Phillies' top competition for the shortstop, have apparently backed out because they were told it wasn't worth their time. The Brewers believe Rollins is close to signing with the Phillies.

Ruben Amaro Jr. played it cool, responding "That's good news, I guess. I haven't heard that yet. I hope it's true."

Most sources expect the Phillies back down from Aramis Ramirez if they're able to re-sign Rollins. Ramirez is thought to be more of a backup plan.

Phils add Nix, linked to Ramirez

2011-12-05T12:38:00.000-05:00

Things are heating up around baseball.

The Phillies have agreed to a two-year deal with nine-year veteran Laynce Nix in what will likely be a platoon situation with John Mayberry Jr. in left field.

Nix spent last season with Washinton, batting .250 with 16 home runs (a career high), 44 RBI, 15 doubles, 23 walks and 82 strikeouts with an OBP of .299. He's a career .244 hitter. Nix is a bit of a down grade from Raul Ibanez, but comes at a much lower price.

They've also been linked to having serious interest in free agent third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

Meanwhile, the Miami Marlins have made the biggest splash of the off-season, first signing closer Heath Bell and then agreeing on a six-year deal with superstar Jose Reyes. Hanley Ramirez is expected to move to third base, not become trade bait.

The Nix move isn't likely to get fans too excited. He's not exactly what the team needed. Yet another left handed batter who hits for a low average and a low on base percentage. The signing all but secures Ibanez's departure from pinstripes, and also likely means the team's pursuit of Michael Cuddyer has ended.

This is the first off-season in quite some time that the Phillies have made a series of questionable moves. Starting with handing a major contract to Jonathan Papelbon, to the signings of veterans past their prime: Jim Thome, Ty Wigginton and now Nix. Of course, Thome was a great signing, but the others remain to be seen.

Phils sign Thome, Papelbon

2011-11-11T15:13:00.000-05:00

Well, the end of the 2011 season hurt a little too much to talk about. Besides, there's really nothing I could say that wasn't already said over and over again on any and every news outlet.

Fortunately, Ruben Amaro Jr. is going to work early this off-season.

After the great move to bring fan favorite Jim Thome back for what could be the last season of his illustrious career, it appears they've agreed to terms with Jonathan Papelbon to take over as closer.

It's a shame to see Ryan Madson go, but Papelbon has been dominant through most of his six years as Boston's closer.

The deal is reportedly for four years around $50 million.

More thoughts later...

And then there was One. Phils vs. Cardinals Game Five

2011-10-06T13:41:00.000-04:00

No one donning a Phillies uniform wanted it to come to this. Not the players. Not the coaches. Certainly not the fans.

The best team in Phillies history needs to win on Friday, or else they become one of, if not the most disappointing team in Philadelphia history.

Yes, the Phillies have Roy Halladay on the mound. But Chris Carpenter is damn good. Don't judge him on his Game Two performance. He'd never pitched on short rest before, and it clearly affected him. And Halladay has taken some time to settle down of late, including Game One when he allowed a three-run shot to Lance Berkman in the first inning before retiring 23 of the last 24 batters he faced.

The bats need to come alive, plain and simple. Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley have been great at the plate; although Utley made a bonehead play on the bases yesterday. Ryan Howard, after a big go ahead three-run homer in Game One and two more RBI in Game Two looks really lost at the plate. He's coming up, time and time again in a big spot with runners aboard and not coming through. Shane Victorino is also really scuffling, which may prompt Charlie Manuel to put Hunter Pence back into the five hole to give Howard some protection. The bottom of the lineup, comprised of Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz is doing next to nothing.

This could be Rollins' last game in a Phillies uniform. It could also be Albert Pujols' last as a Cardinal.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day leading up to Game Five, and a loss with prompt an even longer off-season filled with questions.

Three of the four Division Series are going to a best-of-five, and while it's very dramatic, Major League Baseball needs to seriously consider changing it to a best-of-seven like the Championship Series and World Series. Too many fluky things can happen in baseball, and the best team in baseball all season could be bounced on a fluke. It's time to be nervous, but it's also time to have faith in the great Doc.

Francisco provides spark off bench, Phils up 2-1

2011-10-05T09:24:00.000-04:00

Ben Francisco provided the spark off the bench in yesterday's nail biter, hitting a three-run pinch-hit home run in the seventh to break a scoreless tie as the Phils would hold on for a 3-2 victory. That game was about as frightening a Phillies games as I can remember.

Cole Hamels pitched very well, but worked in and out of trouble just about the entire game. His pitch count was elevated from the start, while his counterpart Jaime Garcia was on cruise control.

You had to get the feeling that the Cardinals were going to scratch a run across on Hamels on some bleeder or blooper, and that the bats may have a tough time rallying against Garcia. The game seemed to be heading that way.

But, the Phillies started putting better at bats together in the sixth, raising Garcia's pitch count. Garcia intentionally walked Hunter Pence, with a runner on second, and two outs in the sixth to get to Ryan Howard. He should have gotten fired up that Garcia wanted to face him. Thought he'd be the easier out. Turns out Garcia was right, as Howard bounced out weakly to end the threat.

Hamels also worked in and out of trouble in the sixth. After striking out the first two batters, Ryan Theriot came up with yet another single, and Jon Jay worked a walk. Tony LaRussa opted to leave Garcia in the game, and Hamels struck him out to end the frame.

A similar situation arose for the Phils in the seventh, and this time, they took advantage. With Shane Victorino on second with two outs, Garcia intentionally walked Carlos Ruiz. Francisco stepped to the plate, pinch-hitting for Hamels. Francisco got a high fastball and it crushed it into the Phillies bullpen in left-centerfield for a three-run shot.

St. Louis would threaten against the Phillies' bullpen, scoring one run off Vance Worley in his one inning of work. Antonio Bastardo retired the only batter he faced, before Brad Lidge came on in the eighth to allow the two batters he faced to reach to load the bases.

Charlie Manuel turned to Ryan Madson for a five-out save for the first time this year. Madson induced a huge double play from Allen Craig to end the threat.

Madson would allow a run in the ninth, closing the lead to 3-2, before getting Theriot to finally make an out, as he grounded out to Chase Utley with a runner aboard to end the ballgame.

Hamels threw six scoreless innings, surrendering five hits and three walks with eight strikeouts. He threw 117 pitches.

Garcia allowed three runs over seven innings on six hits, two walks and three strikeouts.

Through three games, Jimmy Rollins (.583), Utley (.400), Pence (.273) and Victorino (.333) are all swinging the bat well. Meanwhile, Howard (.182), Placido Polanco (.083) and Carlos Ruiz (.091) are struggling.

Roy Oswalt looks to close it out tonight against a team with a lot of experience and success against him in the past. Edwin Jackson will oppose him, hoping to force a Game Five back in Philly.

Pivitol Game 3 tonight, series knotted at 1

2011-10-04T10:52:00.000-04:00

Tonight has to put a bit of a scare into Phils fans. If there was one pitcher on the staff, going into the series, that really causes matchup problems for the Phillies it was Jaime Garcia.

But, if all went according to plan, it wouldn't matter. The Phils were "supposed" to win games 1 and 2 at home with Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee on the mound.

We all know that didn't pan out, as Lee couldn't hold a 4-0 lead, and now the Phillies have to beat Garcia to avoid falling behind 2-1.

Fortunately, the Phillies have Cole Hamels on the mound tonight in what could be a very low scoring game.

Of course, Hamels is used to little to no run support. His win total should have been higher by at least four or five games, but the bats time and again failed to back him in many of his starts.

Garcia is 2-0 with a 0.96 ERA in his career against the Phillies. Hopefully, John Mayberry Jr. can provide a spark to the lineup against him as a powerful right handed bat.

Hamels is 2-3 with a 3.27 in his career against the Cardinals. He had his worst month of the season in September, going 1-2 with a 3.79 ERA.

Charlie Manuel could have considered a Tony LaRussa like maneuver, and slid Roy Oswalt into tonight's slot and pushed Hamels back to Game Four.

The advantage: if the Phillies are once again unable to hit Garcia and waste a good outing from Hamels, they have to rely on Oswalt to keep their season alive tomorrow. If Oswalt pitches tonight and the Phils still don't hit Garcia, the Phillies have Hamels and then Halladay in an opportunity to win back-to-back games and advance.

Hopefully, the bats will get to Garcia and that will all be a moot point.

100 wins for the Phils

2011-09-27T09:12:00.000-04:00

The Phillies reached 100 wins last night, taking the first game over the Braves 4-2 in front of stunned, saddened, miserable fans in Atlanta.

The Braves caught a break from our good buddy Ed Wade, as his Astros defeated the the Cardinals, keeping Atlanta one game up in the Wild Card.

Cliff Lee's final tuneup before Sunday's NLDS Game Two went relatively well, despite a slow start.

Chipper Jones hit a two-out solo shot, his 18th of the year, off Lee in the first. Atlanta added another run in the second on back-to-back doubles from Matt Diaz and Alex Gonzalez, and the chop was out in full force.

But as Lee settled down, allowing two runs on five hits, no walks and six strikeouts over six innings, and the Phils started to chip away things started to quiet down.

Jimmy Rollins' 15th home run of the year tied it in the fifth, and RBIs in the sixth and eighth from Raul Ibanez put the Phils in front for good.

It was great to see the bullpen come in and nail down the final nine outs against a desperate Braves' lineup. Lefty Joe Savery retired a batter in the seventh, and Michael Stutes retired the next two in order. Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson followed, each pitching a scoreless inning. Lidge worked out of a one-out, two runners aboard situation by inducing a double-play from Jones, while Madson worked around a leadoff double to secure his 32nd save of the season.

The Phillies are 2-0 since Charlie Manuel moved Chase Utley out of the three-hole. Utley wasn't producing in that spot, and so far, he's not producing batting second either. He was 0-for-4 last night with a strikeout and a runner left on base.

Roy Oswalt (8-10, 3.86) takes the ball tonight against Dereke Lowe (9-16, 4.92).

Oswalt is 1-2 with a 4.57 ERA in his last three starts, and is just 1-3 with a 5.15 ERA in his career against Atlanta. Oswalt pitched well against Atlanta on September 7th, allowing two runs on four hits, four walks and seven strikeouts over seven innings.

Lowe is 0-3 with a 7.98 ERA in his last three starts, and 8-6 with a 3.34 ERA in 113.1 innings against the Phillies. He's 1-3 with a 4.13 ERA in four starts against the Phils this season.

Milwaukee and Arizona both lost, meaning the Brewers stay one game ahead of the Diamondbacks for the second spot.

Revamped lineup helps end skid, Wild Card Race

2011-09-26T09:10:00.000-04:00

The losing streak is over.

Charlie Manuel made a long overdue lineup change yesterday, moving Chase Utley out of the three-hole, and it paid dividends immediately.

Utley was moved up to second (I would have dropped him to sixth, for the time being) with Hunter Pence batting third and Shane Victorino sliding into the five-hole.

The Phils ended the losing streak with a 9-4 victory over the Mets. They scored three in the first, one in the second, one in the third and four in the fourth. Pence hit his 21st home run of the year; a two-run shot off Mike Pelfrey in the first.

Roy Halladay cruised to his 19th win, tossing six scoreless innings and throwing just 77 pitches before being lifted from his final tuneup before Saturday's NLDS Game One.

Antonio Bastardo once again struggled mightily, and hopes that he would return to his previous dominant form are in jeopardy.

He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks, while retiring just one batter. His ERA has ballooned up to 2.68. It was 1.38 on September 1st.

The Phils need Bastardo to figure it out if they are to make a deep run in the postseason. The starters aren't always going to throw eight or nine innings.

These last three days are a bit scary and conflicting.

The Phils face the Braves in Atlanta, and it'd be great to see them win a couple games on the road against a division rival fighting for their playoff lives.

That being said, if the St. Louis Cardinals, who are one game behind Atlanta in the Wild Card race, overtake the Braves they'll be Philly's first round opponent. That sounds a bit frightening.

As long as Milwaukee keeps winning, they'll secure the second seed. If the Braves win the Wild Card, the Phils would face Arizona in the first round.

While I would love to see the Phils bounce Atlanta from postseason contention, St. Louis seems to be a much for formidable opponent.

My hope for the Phillies over these last three days: play really well, but maybe not quite well enough.

Postseason picture taking shape as Phils look to regroup

2011-09-24T13:15:00.000-04:00

Heading into the final six games of the 2011 regular season, the playoff picture is becoming more clear by the day.

The Phillies, losers of a season high six straight look to get back on track in New York and Atlanta starting with today's doubleheader.

The Braves were struggling, and the red hot Cardinals were closing in on them for the Wild Card spot. Atlanta turned it on and won some big games, and maintain a three game lead. While the Phillies could help bounce their division rival from the postseason in the final three games, it's doubtful they'd want to. St. Louis seems to be a much tougher first rounder match-up than, say, Arizona.

Milwaukee holds just a one game lead over the Diamondbacks for the second best record in the National League. Assuming Atlanta wraps up the Wild Card, the Phillies will play the third seed. Just about everyone should hope that's Arizona. Milwaukee seems much less daunting in a seven game series than in five.

If the season ended today, the Phils would host Arizona and Milwaukee would host Atlanta. That's the Phillies' ideal scenario. Let's hope it holds up over these last few days, and the Phillies can regroup and win some ballgames over the Mets and Braves.

Scuffling Phillies limping toward the finish line

2011-09-21T09:25:00.000-04:00

The Phillies were swept in the day-night doubleheader against the Nationals yesterday. It's the first time the Montreal/Washington organization swept a doubleheader from the Phils since 1997.

They're 5-8 in their last 13 games, scoring three runs or fewer in twelve of them.

It's certainly not time to hit the panic button yet, but sure, be a little worried.

The bats went ice cold in the postseason last year, ultimately leading to their demise against San Francisco. The Phillies have tremendous starting pitching, as everyone knows. But those pitchers can't win without support.

The Phils have nothing to play for right now though. Charlie Manuel calls it just a lack of focus. One has to think that Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee won't struggle to bear down and focus in a postseason game, as opposed to a meaningless regular season game against the Nats.

But still, the Phillies aren't producing runs and meaningful games loom. Hopefully, heading out on the road to New York and Atlanta can help them regain their focus and win some games down the stretch.

Vance Worley makes what is expected to be his last start of the season tonight. The Phillies will move him into the bullpen in preparation of coming out of the 'pen in the playoffs.

Phils clinch home field after loss to Cards

2011-09-20T09:10:00.000-04:00

Despite a 4-3 loss to the Cardinals last night, the Phillies clinched home field advantage throughout the post-season because of Milwaukee's loss to the Cubs.

Currently standing at 98-54. the Phils will finish with the best record in the National League. They'll own home field advantage in the World Series, should they advance that far of course, because of the NL's victory in the All-Star game.

The red hot Cardinals took three of four from the Phils, closing their gap in the Wild Card race to 2.5 behind Atlanta. The Phils may have a chance to knock the Braves out of the Wild Card spot with their series next week, during the last three games of the season. Although at this point, many would prefer not to face St. Louis in the first round.

The Phils look to get back on the winning track today, and they'll have two chances to do so during a day-night doubleheader at the Bank against Washington.

Kyle Kendrick (8-6, 3.22) takes the ball in Game One against Ross Detwiler (2-5, 3.76).

Kendrick pitched well, beating the Marlins in the first game of a doubleheader last week. He's 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA in his last three starts, but just 2-3 with a 6.02 ERA lifetime against the Nats.

Detwiler has been solid this year but has struggled lately, going 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA in his last three starts. He's 0-3 with a 6.00 ERA in his career against Philadelphia.

Cliff Lee (16-7, 2.38) looks to continue his red hot streak in the nightcap against Tom Milone (1-0, 4.60).

Everyone knows how ridiculous Lee has been lately. He's 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA in his career against Washington.

Milone picked up his first Major League victory in his last start against the Mets, allowing just one run over 5.2 innings. He's made three career starts, all this month. He picked up no decisions against the Mets and Astros earlier in September. Over 15.2 innings, he's allowed eight runs on 17 hits and three walks. He's struck out nine.

Phils sweep doubleheader, magic number at 2

2011-09-16T09:18:00.000-04:00

The Phillies took care of business against the Marlins, despite a still struggling offense, sweeping the twin bill at Citizen's Bank Park. With the victories, the magic number to clinch a fifth consecutive NL East crown is down to two. They could clinch as early as tonight with a win over St. Louis and an Atlanta loss to the Mets.

Kyle Kendrick pitched well in Game One, out-dueling Anibal Sanchez in a 3-1 victory. KK improved to 8-6, allowing one run, on Logan Morrison's 20th home run of the season, on just two hits and no walks with six strikeouts over five innings. Antonio Bastardo, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson all struggled in the late innings, but held on to secure the victory. Hunter Pence and Raul Ibanez each had an RBI double, and Placido Polanco drove in a run.

Cliff Lee was brilliant in Game Two. The Phils managed just one run of support, a John Mayberry Jr. home run in the sixth. Lee was making it stick though. He was one strike away from yet another complete game shutout with Jose Lopez at the plate with an 0-2 count in the ninth. Lee made his first mistake of the night, hanging a high cutter that Lopez drove out of the yard.

Ryan Howard hit a walk-off RBI double in the tenth, scoring Michael Martinez from first base. Lee was left with a no decision, allowing the one run on five hits and no walks with 12 strikeouts. He certainly deserved a better fate. Just one more strike would have given him his 17th win of the year, and a remarkable seventh complete game shutout.

Vance Worley (11-2, 2.92) takes the mound tonight, looking to inch the Phils closer to the crown. Jaime Garcia (12-7, 3.68) will oppose him for the Cardinals. Atlanta's game starts 30 minutes after the Phillies, so if they're to wrap up the division tonight, it's unlikely the celebration will come on the field.

Worley is 2-1 with a 4.34 ERA in his last three starts and has never faced St. Louis. His last few starts have been a rough stretch for Worley, but he's battled and pitched out of a bunch of jams.

Garcia is 2-1 with a 5.82 ERA in his last three starts. He's 2-1 with a 1.17 ERA in his career against the Phils with 17 strikeouts over 23 innings.

Halladay's first shutout ends three game losing streak, clinches playoff berth

2011-09-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

Well, Doc put an end to that mini skid. The Phillies avoided being swept for the first time in a three-game series all season by beating the Houston Astros 1-0 yesterday afternoon. The win also clinched a playoff berth for the Phils, setting a franchise record for fewest games to clinch a spot.

Roy Halladay's masterful complete game shutout was his first shutout of the season. Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, that was his first shutout. In eight complete games, that's the first time he's blanked his opponent for nine innings this season. Last season, he completed nine games with four shutouts. He allowed six hits and one walk while fanning seven.

The offense continued to sputter; the first two batters of the game accounted for its only run. Shane Victorino led off with a double, and Placido Polanco drove him in with a single up the middle. The Phils finished with just four hits.

Today, they're faced with the tough task of a day-night doubleheader against the Marlins today. Rather than making a September call-up to start one of the games, as many anticipated, Kyle Kendrick will take the ball in Game One.

Kendrick (7-6, 3.29) will face the Marlins' best pitcher this season, Anibal Sanchez (8-7, 3.64).

KK is 6-2 in his career against Florida with a 4.60 ERA. He's appeared in 30 games this season, 13 of which have been starts.

Sanchez is 3-7 in his career with a 5.24 ERA, but he's pitched some really good games against them. He's 1-1 with a 0.86 ERA in his last three starts. This is his fifth start of the season against the Phils, and he's yet to pick up a decision against them; an indication that he keeps his team close. The Phillies just saw him on September 4, when he allowed two unearned runs on six hits and three walks over six innings.

Phils finish 6-1 vs. Playoff contenders, lose to Astros

2011-09-13T12:39:00.001-04:00

The Phillies wrapped up their "Playoff Preview Week," finishing a ridiculous 6-1. After sweeping the Atlanta Braves, which essentially wrapped up a fifth consecutive NL East crown, they won the first three in Milwaukee. Vance Worley pitched well in the finale, but was unable to best Yovani Gallardo who struck out twelve over seven strong innings.

Two of the three Phillies' victories against the Brewers came without Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard or Chase Utley in the starting lineup.

They opened a series last night in Houston, and former Astros Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence were unable to defeat former Phillie Brett Myers in their return to Minute Maid Park.

Oswalt dropped to 7-9, allowing five runs on eleven hits and two walks over seven innings. He struck out two. Pence fared much better, going 2-for-4 with a double in his first at bat.

Joe Blanton made his first appearance since May 14, tossing a scoreless inning. He allowed one hit and struck out one.

Myers allowed just one run on six hits and one walk over eight dominant innings. He struck out four. He improved to 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA lifetime against his former club.

The Phils will face another former Phillie tonight when Cole Hamels (14-7, 2.60) takes on J.A. Happ (5-15, 5.77).

Happ beat the Phillies in his only appearance against them last season. Hamels is just 3-2 with a 4.82 ERA in his career against Houston.

The Phillies magic numbers are:

1- to clinch a playoff berth

5- to clinch the NL East

7- to clinch home field advantage throughout the postseason.

Phils handling business against NL playoff teams

2011-09-10T21:22:00.001-04:00

The local media made a big deal out of this week for the Phillies. Many dubbed it "Postseason Preview Week," as the Phils were set to take on the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers. So far, they're 5-0.

The Phils swept the Braves, all but ending any possible NL East race down the stretch. Atlanta now stands eleven games behind the Phillies in the standings.

The Phillies have also taken the first two from the Brewers, even winning the opener 7-2 without Ryan Howard, Chase Utley or Jimmy Rollins in the lineup.

Each magic number continues to shrink, as the Phillies could even clinch a playoff spot as early as tomorrow with about three weeks still remaining in the season.

Is this the best team in franchise history? Is there really even a question?

Phils take series against Atlanta behind Worley, Ibanez

2011-09-07T11:33:00.001-04:00

The Phillies secured a series victory over Atlanta on a rain soaked night with a 6-3 victory, moving 9 1/2 games ahead of the Braves in the NL East.

They're the first team to win 90 games this season; and reached 90 victories the fastest in franchise history, five games fewer than in 1977.

The Phils won their 14th straight game in which Vance Worley took the rubber. Worley was very good once again, battling through six innings to improve to 11-1. He allowed two runs on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts.

Worley, as he typically does, battled out of some tough jams. Leading 2-1 in the sixth, the Braves loaded the bases with no outs. He settled down, and retired the next three batters, allowing just one run to score on a sacrifice fly.

The offense put Worley back on top and in position for the win in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on second and third with no outs, thanks to a Ryan Howard leadoff walk and Hunter Pence's 33rd double of the year, Raul Ibanez was at the plate. Howard would end up scoring on a wild pitch; a decision that could have been costly had Brian McCann handled the ball cleanly as he retrieved it. The bobble allowed Howard to score easily. Ibanez followed by crushing a ball to the deepest part of right-centerfield, just to the right of the Phillies' bullpen. It drilled the top of the wall, just eluding a home run, but Pence scored and the Phils took a 4-2 lead.

The Braves would put pressure on the Phillies' bullpen, but Michael Stutes, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson got the job done. Stutes allowed a run, while Lidge and Madson each pitched a scoreless frame. Lidge struck out three in the eighth, and Madson picked up save number 28.

The Phils had jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Braves' starter Tim Hudson a little after 9pm. Chase Utley, who is starting to swing the bat much better, belted a solo shot into the Phillies' bullpen, and Raul Ibanez knocked in a run to complete four straight hits in the inning.

Ibanez had a huge night, going 3-for-4 with three RBI.

Cliff Lee was named NL Pitcher of the Month for August; which is a surprise to no one.

The Phils will go for the sweep tonight with Roy Oswalt (7-8, 3.80) on the mound against Brandon Beachy (7-2, 3.37).

Oswalt is seeking some consistency in the last month of the season to earn the fourth spot in the playoff rotation. He's 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA in his last three starts. He's struggled against the Braves in his career, going 1-3 with a 5.56 ERA. He picked up that one win back in April, allowing one run on five hits over six innings in his second start of the year.

Beachy has been tremendous for Atlanta this season. He hasn't lost since July 19. He's 2-0 with a 3.00 ERA in his last three starts. He's 0-3 in his career against the Phils with a 4.50 ERA in five starts.

Lee cruises in CG SO over Braves

2011-09-06T09:45:00.002-04:00

What a way to start out a potentially big three-game series against Atlanta.

Cliff Lee extended him dominant August into September, and the bats kept producing as the Phils cruised to a 9-0 victory over Derek Lowe and the Braves.

Lee picked up his 16th win and sixth complete game shutout of the year. He allowed just five hits and no walks with six strikeouts. He's 6-0 with just two runs allowed over his last six starts. He eclipsed 200 strikeouts in a season for the first time in his career last night.

Hunter Pence drove in three runs, Shane Victorino and Carlos Ruiz each drove in two and Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard knocked in one.

Howard smacked his 31st homer of the season; a solo shot in the seventh.

Chase Utley, who's been struggling mightily, went 2-for-5 with a triple and two runs scored.

The Phils moved 8.5 games ahead of the second place Braves in the NL East. Only an Atlanta sweep would have put pressure on the Phils in the division, but they squashed that possibility early.

The Phillies would do well to keep sticking it to the Braves, to continue drilling it in their heads that they have Atlanta's number once the postseason rolls around.

Vance Worley (10-1, 2.85) takes the ball tonight against Tim Hudson (14-8, 3.05).

The Phillies have won each of Worley's last 13 starts. His September could be an audition for the playoff rotation, as he continues to make a strong case over Roy Oswalt, who has been inconsistent.

He's 2-0 with a 2.81 ERA in his last three starts. He hasn't allowed a run in six career innings against the Braves.

Hudson is 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA in his last three starts, and is 7-7 with a 3.65 ERA in his career against the Phils. In two starts against Philly this season, he's 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA.

Lee closes book on dominant August

2011-09-01T11:42:00.000-04:00

Cliff Lee finished off a brilliant month of August with 8.2 shutout innings in Cincinnati last night in a 3-0 victory. He allowed six hits, one walk and a hit batter, with seven strikeouts while picking up his 15th victory of the season. Ryan Madson came on with the bases loaded and picked up the final out.

Lee all but assured himself Pitcher of the Month for the second time in three months. He finished August 5-0, with a 0.45 ERA, 39 strikeouts, eight walks, one complete game shutout, two runs and 23 hits allowed in 39.2 innings pitched. In June, when he won Pitcher of the Month, he went 5-0 with a 0.21 ERA, allowing just one run that month with three consecutive complete game shutouts.

The Phils extended their NL East lead over the Braves to 7.5. Vance Worley takes the mound this afternoon, looking to complete a remarkable four-game road sweep over the Reds.

Worley (9-1, 2.65) will be opposed by Mike Leake (11-8, 4.04). Worley struck out a career high nine batters in his last outing against the Mets, in which he allowed just one run and five hits. He's 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA in his last three starts, but he lasted just three scoreless innings against Arizona in one of those starts because of rain. He pitched five innings against the Reds back on May 24, allowing three runs on six hits, four walks and three strikeouts in a no decision.

Leake is 1-1 with a 5.50 ERA in his last three starts. He's 0-0 with a 6.91 ERA in 14.1 innings in his career against the Phillies.

Florida takes single game, Phils in Cincy

2011-08-29T09:47:00.000-04:00

For the first time this season, the Florida Marlins took a series from the Phillies. Well, kind of.

Hurricane Irene forced the final two games of the series to be postponed until September 15, when the Phils and Fish will square off in a day-night doubleheader.

The Marlins took Friday's game, 6-5.

Roy Oswalt took his eighth loss of the year, tossing 5.2 innings and allowing six runs (five earned) on 12 hits, one walk and two strikeouts. John Buck had the big blast of the game, hitting a sixth inning grand slam off Oswalt.

The Phils started to battle back in the bottom of the sixth, when Ryan Howard crushed a three-run homer which cut the deficit to 6-4.

With one out in the ninth, Cliff Lee came on to pinch run for Raul Ibanez who'd come up with a big pinch hit single. Michael Martinez doubled Lee home all the way from first, cutting the Marlins' lead to one and putting the tying run in scoring position.

That's where he'd stay, as Shane Victorino flied out, and Placido Polanco grounded out to end the ballgame.

The rescheduled doubleheader puts the Phils at a major disadvantage. They no longer have an off day in September. They'll also have to play two doubleheaders in a six game span.

Fortunately, rosters expand this week for September call-ups. The Phils will almost surely pitch someone from Triple-A in one game of each doubleheader.

The team arrived safely in Cincinnati on Saturday, flying out just about as soon as Game One was rained out. They'll open a three-game set with the Reds tonight, as Cole Hamels (13-7, 2.62) comes off the DL to face Homer Bailey (7-5, 4.44)

Hamels was on the mound when the Phils eliminated the Reds from last year's postseason, after he pitched a complete game shut-out to secure Game Three. He beat the Reds back on May 23, allowing three runs on five hits over six innings, with two walks and four strikeouts.

In his career against Cincinnati, he's a remarkable 7-0 with a 1.43 ERA.

Bailey took a no-decision against the Phils on May 26. He allowed four runs on five hits over four innings, with two walks and two strikeouts. He's 1-0 with a 3.32 ERA in his last three starts, and is 0-2 with a 7.00 ERA over 18 innings in his career against Philly.

Phils drop finale to Mets

2011-08-25T09:08:00.000-04:00

The Phillies were unable to complete the sweep over the Mets yesterday, dropping the finale 7-4.

Kyle Kendrick was hurt in the first inning. First, by Michael Martinez booting a double-play ball which would have left the bases cleared with two outs. Second, by Nick Evans' three-run shot.

Kendrick fell to 7-6, lasting just four innings and allowing six runs (two earned) on seven hits, one walk and one strikeout.

David Wright also took KK deep, with a solo shot to right in the third.

Shane Victorino drove in two more runs for the Phils from the leadoff spot, while Chase Utley and Hunter Pence each tacked on an RBI.

Now let me just say this: Mike Pelfrey is a clown. The Phils have hit him very well in the past, and they've also had some problems with him on the field. He tried to start something again yesterday.

On a harmless play, with no on on base, he threw inside to Placido Polanco. Everything looked normal, until Pelfrey started barking at Polly, apparently upset that he was trying to let the ball hit him.

First of all, that's baseball. The Phillies just lost a game when Brad Lidge hit a batter with the bases loaded on about a 35 MPH slider that took 25 seconds to reach home plate. The batter could have easily moved, but he leaned in and let it hit him. Umpires very rarely call the rule of a batter not making an attempt to get out of the way. Until they do, batters will keep doing this.

Second of all, Polanco was just stepping into the ball, and did appear to move his elbow guard out of the way at the last second. But that's neither here nor there. If you don't want to hit him, don't throw it close to him. Batters don't instantly move out of the way, because pitches tail back toward the plate. Even the Mets' catcher appeared to disagree with his pitcher's reaction and handled the situation very well. He immediately talked to Polanco, calming him down before anything escalated, and then went out to talk to Pelfrey. Nice job Josh Thole. The last thing the Phils need is another benches clearing incident, resulting in suspensions and possible injuries.

After a day off, the Phils will open a three-game set with the Marlins. Well, maybe. The northeast is supposed to get slammed by hurricane Irene, getting hit hardest on Sunday. Down in Florida, the Reds and Marlins cancelled their game today, and played a doubleheader yesterday. The Phils may want to do the same and play a day-night doubleheader on Saturday. If they don't, this will be a two-game series.

The Phillies are 9-3 against Florida this season, outscoring them 64-30. Roy Oswalt (6-7, 3.51) is set to take the ball in the opener against reliever turned starter Clay Hensley (1-5. 5.47).

Oswalt is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA since returning from the DL. He threw eight shutout innings against Washington in his last outing. He faced Florida back in April, picking up a no decision after throwing six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

Hensley is 0-1 with a 7.80 ERA in his last three starts. He threw two-thirds of an inning in relief against the Phils in April. He's 1-1 with a 2.94 ERA in his career against Philly.

Another offensive outburst against NY, going for sweep today

2011-08-24T09:11:00.000-04:00

Another day, another rout over the Mets and the Phillies are in position to sweep the series this afternoon.

A day after routing the Mets 10-0, the Phils were back at it last night with a 9-4 victory.
The Phils built a 9-0 lead in the fifth, before the bullpen allowed New York to tack on a few meaningless runs in the end.

The big blast in the game came from, you guessed it, John Mayberry Jr. His three-run shot in the third put the Phils on top 4-0. Mayberry is absolutely on fire, and there is no way Charlie Manuel can take him out of the lineup at this point. In his last six games, Mayberry has ten hits, three home runs and ten RBI.

Shane Victorino hit a solo shot earlier in the third to break a scoreless tie; a shot down the left field line which cleared the lower level and landed on the concourse toward the new Harry Kalas statue.

Victorino also a two-run triple in the fifth, his 16th triple of the year and second two-run triple in as many days.

Vance Worley struggled from the get go, but battled as he always does. In the first, he pitched out of a first and third, with no outs jam, and struck out Nick Evans looking to leave the bases loaded. In the second, he was in a second and third, no outs jam and pitched out of that as well by striking out the next three batters, all looking.

He struggled with his command, but Worley is the ultimate competitor and his efforts were rewarded, as he improved to 9-1. He threw seven innings, allowing one run on five hits, one walk and nine strikeouts.

Michael Stutes pitched the final two innings, allowing three runs on four hits.

The Phils got to Mets starter Jon Niese, who lasted just four innings. He surrendered eight runs on ten hits, one walk and six strikeouts.

The Phillies and Kyle Kendrick (7-5 3.24) look to sweep the Mets who will send Mike Pelfrey (6-10 4.61) to the mound this afternoon.

Kendrick is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA in his last three starts. Lifetime against NY, he's 4-5 with a 2.88 ERA. He has one start against New York this season on July 17. He picked up the win, tossing seven strong innings, allowing one run on six hits and three walks.

The Phillies are Pelfrey's nemesis this season. He's 0-2 in four starts with a 7.58 ERA this season. He's 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA in his last three starts. He's 6-6 with a 5.12 ERA lifetime against the Phils.

Phils jump on Mets in opener, 10-0

2011-08-23T09:28:00.000-04:00

The Phillies got back on the winning track last night, embarrassing the Mets in a 10-0 victory.

Remember when the Phils and Mets were rivals? All the verbal sparring and games that mattered; fighting for the division down the stretch with the Phils ultimately erasing a late deficit and taking the division two years in a row? That seems like ages ago.

These two franchises are heading in opposite directions. The Phillies have remained successful, having won the divison every year since their epic comeback to take the NL East in 2007. They have the best record in baseball, and should be a legitimate threat to contend for another championship in October.

The Mets, on the other hand, have faded into obscurity. They're in fourth place, seven games under .500 and 22.5 games behind the Phils. Last year, they finished 18 games out, with a losing record. In 2009, they finished 70-92, 23 games behind the Phils. Stop me if you see a pattern.

Last night was no different. Cliff Lee took the ball and once again dominated, throwing seven seemingly easy scoreless innings, although he did walk an uncharacteristic three batters. He struck out seven, picked up his 14th win of the year and improved to 4-0 in August with just two runs allowed over 31 innings with 32 strikeouts.

The lineup lost two of its regulars, but saw the return of Placido Polanco. Just like they have all year, when someone gets wounded, someone else steps up. Jimmy Rollins hit the DL and Raul Ibanez was scratched with a sore groin. Wilson Valdez filled in at shortstop, and the red hot John Mayberry Jr. occupied left field.

Looks like Mayberry can hit righties too. He hit a two-run homer off Mets starter Dillon Gee in the third inning, his eleventh of the year. Mayberry also added an RBI on a bases loaded walk.

Shane Victorino started the scoring in the second, triping home Wilson Valdez and Cliff Lee, both of whom had singled. Lee hustled around the base-paths on the play, scoring all the way from first.

Carlos Ruiz added a two-run single after Mayberry's walk, and Hunter Pence jacked a two-run shot in the sixth, his 16th of the year and fifth with the Phils.

Polanco went 2-for-4 in his return to the lineup, batting second behind Victorino.

Gee lasted on 3.2 innings, allowing eight runs on seven hits, six walks and three strikeouts.

The Phils' bullpen pitched two scoreless innings; a sight for sore eyes.

David Herndon allowed just two hits over his two frames, with one strikeout. Herndon has not allowed a run in his last nine appearances totaling 10.2 innings, lowering his season ERA from 4.83 to 3.61.

The Phils and Mets get right back at it tonight, with Vance Worley (8-1 2.76) squaring off against Jon Niese (11-10 4.05).

Worley should be well rested after pitching three strong innings against Arizona before a rain delay forced him from the game. Worley is 2-1 in three starts against NY this year. He beat them on July 15, allowing one run on four hits on 5.1 innings with four walks and four strikeouts. His other victory came on his first outing of the year back on April 29. He threw six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and four walks with five strikeouts. His only defeat was an ugly one on May 29. Worley lasted just three innings, allowing eight runs (five earned) on twelve hits.

Niese is 1-2 with a 4.82 ERA He's 3-3 in his career against Philly with a 2.82 ERA. He's started against the Phillies four times this season, losing twice in April and beating them in May and July. Over his two victories, he allowed just three runs (one earned) and struck out twelve. The Phils tagged him for six runs over just four innings back on April 7th.

Rollins hits the DL

2011-08-22T14:35:00.000-04:00

The revolving door that is the Phillies' infield keeps spinning, as Jimmy Rollins is hitting the 15-day DL with a mild Grade 2 right groin strain.

He left the game yesterday after the second inning when he strained the groin fielding a ball at the middle, spinning and throwing to first.

Placido Polanco is expected to activated for tonight's game against New York. No official word yet, but Polanco should be in the lineup, playing third. Wilson Valdez will likely occupy shortstop for Rollins.

J-Roll won't be eligiable to come back until September 6.

Another blown save gives Nats series

2011-08-22T14:25:00.000-04:00

The Phillies have uncharacteristically blown three of their last six games in the ninth inning. They're 3-3 over that span.

It started with Roy Halladay failing to fend off the Diamondbacks at Citizen's Bank Park, and ending with Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo blowing two of three in Washington over the weekend.

Bastardo had a wicked slider yesterday, and was one out away from shutting down the Nationals until he made one mistake, hanging a 1-2 slider to Ian Desmond who smacked the game tying homer. Brad Lidge promptly stunk it up in the 10th, giving the Nats a walk-off victory on a hit batter.

Rain robbed Roy Halladay of a chance at his 16th victory, and after Michael Schwimer blew the lead by allowing a blast to the first batter he faced in his Major League career, he actually pitched very well.

Schwimer would have picked up the win had Bastardo not blown the game. He pitched three innings, allowing two hits and striking out four.

Atlanta moved to 6.5 behind the Phils, who need to start securing victories to fend off the once again hot Braves. Those ninth inning melt downs are the difference between going 6-0 and 3-3 in their last six. Unfortunately, they went the latter.

The Phils play host to the Mets for three games starting tonight. Cliff Lee (13-7 2.82) will face Dillon Gee (11-4 3.92).

Lee is 3-0 with a 0.75 ERA and 25 strikeouts in his last three starts. Lee faced New York once this year, back on May 1. He picked up a no decision, tossing seven innings allowing one runs and two walks with five strikeouts. He's 1-0 in his career against NY with a 0.64 ERA and ten strikeouts in 14 innings.

Gee is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA in his last three starts. He faced the Phils in relief back on April 29, allowing four runs in just 1.2 innings. He's 1-0 in his career against the Phillies with a 6.23 ERA. He's been one of the Mets' best arms this year, but he's struggled lately. Entering July, he was 8-1. Since then, he's 3-3.

Rain forces Doc out, costs him win

2011-08-21T16:50:00.000-04:00

Rain has interfered with the Phillies' starting pitching once again. Roy Halladay lost his shot at victory number 16 this afternoon due to yet another rain delay.

Leading 3-2 in the top of the sixth, the downpour started and effectively ended Doc's day.

Michael Schwimer entered the game in the bottom of the sixth after the delay, making his Major League debut. He allowed a home run to the first batter he faced, Danny Espinsoa, to tie the game. Schwimer put his finger in the air after the ball left the bat, as if calling it a pop-up. Yeah, dude, they knew it was in the air. It only cleared the centerfield wall.

This coming two days after the series opener never should have started, entering a long delay in the first inning and wasting Roy Oswalt's warm-up as the Phils had to shut him down.

Jimmy Rollins left the game with a strained right groin after the second inning. Right now, he's day to day.

The game remains tied, entering the bottom of the seventh.

Mayberry getting more time

2011-08-21T14:13:00.000-04:00

John Mayberry Jr. is earning time in Charlie Manuel's lineup. He deserves it.

He's made some adjustments in his swing and approach, and the difference is palpable.

Mayberry's biggest area of improvement: consistency. Everyone has seen his potential and the power in his mighty bat. But since his recall, he's producing on a much more consistent basis.

He's batting .269 with 10 homers, 35 RBI, 13 doubles and six stolen bases in just 189 at bats. His .511 slugging percentage is third on the team behind Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino. Same with his .841 OPS.

Overall, Mayberry is hitting .273 against left-handed pitching with five home runs. Lately, Manuel has used him more against lefties and he's come through in a big way.

Todd Zolecki did a feature on Mayberry, that since he rejoined the team in July, the Phils have faced nine left-handed starters. Mayberry started eight of them, hitting .276 with two doubles, four homers, seven RBI and a .759 slugging percentage in those games. Raul Ibanez hit .172 with one double, one home run, seven RBI, a .172 on base percentage and a .310 slugging percentage in that same span.

Mayberry got the start against lefty John Lannan in last night's 5-0 victory, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored. Roy Oswalt showed encouraging signs that he could be back to form, tossing eight shutout innings, striking out nine.

Mayberry is not quite in a platoon situation with Ibanez, but he's a big bat to be able to add against a tough lefty, or come off the bench late as he did in Colorado with a pinch-hit game tying home run. In the postseason, Mayberry could be an even more valuable tool for Manuel to pencil into the lineup against southpaws.

Worley looks good before rain, Phils take series

2011-08-19T11:18:00.000-04:00

Thunder and rain couldn't prevent the Phils from ending the Diamondbacks' impressive road winning streak. The last time Arizona dropped two of three on the road came in Oakland back on July 3.

Starters Vance Worley and Ian Kennedy would only last three innings due to a rain delay of nearly two and a half hours. But it was Worley pitching like a 15 game winner; and the Phils' bats finally getting to Kennedy

The Phils lead 3-0 in the delay, on the strength of John Mayberry Jr's tenth home run of the year, a two-run bullet off the left field foul pole. Doubles from Raul Ibanez and Wilson Valdez accounted for the Fightins' other run.

They'd go on to win 4-1 just before Midnight, taking two of three from the D-Backs, coming up a Roy Halladay blown lead in the ninth short of a sweep.

David Herndon pitched great in relief, earning his first victory of the season. He tossed three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out four.

Kennedy picked up just his fourth loss of the year, while Worley allowed just one hit with two strikeouts over his three innings of work.

Paul Goldschmidt slugged his second homer in as many games for Arizona, hitting a solo shot to dead center off Michael Stutes.

The win brings the Phillies to a league best 80-42. They'll head to Washington for a weekend series against the Nats.

Bats erupt late, giving Lee 13th win

2011-08-18T08:57:00.000-04:00

As Hunter Pence returned to the dugout after the top of the seventh inning last night, deadlocked in a 2-2 tie, he pondered his next at bat and how he could help Cliff Lee and his offense re-take the lead. Jimmy Rollins had put the Phils up 1-0 with his 37th career leadoff home run on the first pitch he saw.

After Lee allowed two in the second, Pence and John Mayberry Jr. tied it in the bottom of the second with a leadoff double and an RBI single respectively.

Then, both Lee and Joe Saunders settled in to bring the game to the bottom of the seventh still tied.

So Pence stepped in and delivered a pitcher's worst nightmare: the leadoff walk.

It sparked a rally, which plated three in the frame and four more in the eighth, giving the Phils a 9-2 victory and some redemption against the D-Backs.

Wilson Valdez started the scoring by crushing a double off the wall in dead centerfield, plating Pence and Mayberry who'd singled and read the ball of Valdez's bat perfectly. Ben Francisco added a pinch hit sacrifice fly in the inning.

Mayberry, Brian Schneider, Rollins and Shane Victorino each drove in a run in the eighth.

Cliff Lee improved to 13-7, allowing two runs over seven innings on three hits, two walks and seven strikeouts. Not quite the 12 K performance in Arizona back on April 25, but I'm sure Lee will settle for the win. All sarcasm aside, Lee pitched another tremendous game despite his scoreless innings streak coming to a halt at 18. He allowed a two-run shot in the second to Paul Goldschmidt, but settled down to allow just two singles over his final 5+ innings of work.
The Phillies have two wins in five games against Arizona this year, and Saunders has taken the loss in both of them.

The rubber-match is tonight, weather permitting, with Ian Kennedy on the hill against Vance Worley. Kennedy is tied with Roy Halladay for the NL lead in wins (15) and pitched a complete game, three hit shutout against the Phils in April. Worley is also having an outstanding year, but is coming off the worst outing of his career.

Doc falters in the 9th, D-Backs take Game One

2011-08-17T09:20:00.001-04:00

Tough loss for the Phils last night, dropping the opening game against Arizona after leading in the ninth inning, 3-2.

Clinging to a 2-1 lead in the ninth, the Phils had struggled against D-Backs' starter Josh Collmenter all night. Shane Victorino's bullet two-run shot in the fifth gave them a lead, which Halladay had protected. Doc tied a career high with 14 strikeouts. But he labored in the ninth.

Justin Upton and Miguel Montero lead-off the inning with singles. After striking out Chris Young, who failed to execute a sacrfice bunt, recently signed Lyle Overbay drove a double into the right-centerfield gap, plating Upton and Montero to give the Diamondbacks the lead for good.

Halladay picked up his seventh complete game of the year and the 65th of his career in a losing effort. He dropped to 15-5.

Collmenter tossed 6.2 innings, allowing two runs on eight hits, one walk and eight strikeouts. He's just the type of pitcher to give the Phils fits: a soft tosser that they've hardly seen before. Collmenter kept the Phils off balance with a lot of changeups, and mixed speeds well.

Tonight's game is a big one for the Phils, who send Cliff Lee to the mound looking for a third consecutive gem. He's thrown 17 consecutive scoreless innings; a complete game shutout against the Giants in San Francisco followed by eight shutout innings in Los Angeles. Tonight is big because the D-Backs will send Ian Kennedy to the mound tomorrow against Vance Worley. Kennedy is having a phenomenal year, and pitched a complete game, three hit shutout over the Phils in April. Worley is coming off what could be considered the worst start of his professional career.

Phils split with Nats, open possibly NLDS preview with D-Backs

2011-08-15T09:31:00.001-04:00

Saturday's 11-3 beatdown of the Nats gave Roy Oswalt just his second victory since April 21, and his first since June 12.

He allowed three runs over seven innings on six hits, one walk and five strikeouts. While Oswalt was good, the bats did most of the work. Ryan Howard hit a two-run shot in the first off John Lannan, his 26th of the year. Howard finished with four RBI, Raul Ibanez drove in two while Jimmy Rollins, Hunter Pence, Oswalt and Carlos Ruiz each knocked in a run.

The Phils open a three-game set with the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow at CBP, weather permitting, in what could be a first round post-season preview. The D-Backs are red hot; winners of six straight, they've climbed two games ahead of the struggling San Francisco Giants in the NL West. As I pointed out in my last post, the Phils are very likely to face the winner of that division in the NLDS. Expect it to the Arizona.

Two of the hottest teams in the National League square off in Philly starting tomorrow. Here's the probables:

Tuesday: Roy Halladay (15-4, 2.51) vs. Josh Collmenter (7-7, 3.51)
Halladay is 3-0 lifetime against Arizona. Collementer pitched one scoreless inning in relief against the Phils back in April.

Wednesday: Cliff Lee (12-7, 2.83) vs. Joe Saunders (8-9, 3.76)
Lee took the loss in Arizona back on April 25, allowing four runs while fanning 12 D-Backs. Saunders took the only loss against the Phils back in April, allowing six runs over 5.2 innings.

Thursday: Vance Worley (8-1, 2.85) vs. Ian Kennedy (15-3, 3.12)
Worley is looking to bounce back from one of the worst, if not the worst, starts of his career in LA. Kennedy is having a tremendous year, and pitched a complete game, three hit shutout against the Phils and Lee back on April 25.

Phils vs. NL West in Division Series? Probably

2011-08-12T09:25:00.000-04:00

The Phillies should have an interest as to whom comes out on top of the NL West; they're likely to face them in the first round of the post season.

First off, the Phils have the disadvantage of facing a division winner, because they are very likely to secure the Number One seed (they currently hold a ten game lead) and Atlanta is very likely to win the Wild Card (five game lead). Of course, teams from the same division can not face each other in Division series, therefore, the Phils would face the team with the third best record.

The Arizona Diamondbacks currently lead the NL West by just one game over the San Francisco Giants. Who would you rather face?

Well, that's a tough one. The Diamondbacks have been playing great ball, and if they win the division, we can assume they continue playing very well throughout their final 44 games. The Giants have been scuffling, but that pitching rotation can be un-hitable, as well all well know, and the possibility of a five-game series against their pitching is that much more daunting. Lose Game One to Tim Lincecum, and there is less time to bounce back before their backs are against the wall.

The Milwaukee Brewers lead the NL Central, and hold just a two-game lead over Arizona. The possibility remains that the Phils square off against the Brew Crew in Round One, but I doubt it. The Brewers are a tough team, and Arizona and San Fran figure to beat up on each other a bit down the stretch while fighting for the division championship. I see Milwaukee cruising to an NL Central crown, and a date with the Braves in the division series.

Against Arizona this year, the Phils are 1-2. But that series came back in April. Ian Kennedy pitched a complete game shutout in the first game, striking out ten and allowing just three hits. He beat Cliff Lee who struck out twelve. The D-Backs took the series with a 7-5 victory in Game Two, as Daniel Hudson beat Roy Oswalt, who allowed five runs over just three innings. Cole Hamels took the finale for the Phils against Joe Saunders.

The Phils will host the D-Backs for the three game set starting Tuesday, which should shed some insight on how the Phils match-up.

The Phillies are 4-3 against the Giants this season, with three of the four victories coming on this last road trip against a struggling club. Linecum has beaten the Phils twice this season, but Roy Halladay has yet to face the Giants. Obviously the Phils can beat them, but of course, the Giants can get hot at the right time and are the one team that may be able to counter the Phils' tremendous pitching.

Of course, this is all assuming these teams makes the playoffs. The Phils have, by no means, wrapped anything up. But, they've had the best record in MLB for most of the season, and there's no reason to believe they're about to start struggling.

The Phillies are likely to clinch the division far earlier than any other season since their consecutive wins streak started in 2007. If that's the case, hopefully watching other teams battle for playoff spots and positioning will keep us entertained during the last few weeks of September.

Phils' Franchise Best Road-Trip and More

2011-08-11T09:09:00.000-04:00

Wow, what a road trip! In fact it's the Phils' best road trip of more than seven games ever. Yesterday's 9-8 come from behind victory capped it at 9-1.

The Phillies are 77-40, are running away with the NL East as the Braves trail by 8.5 games and seem to be well on their way to a franchise best regular season.

Vance Worley didn't have his best stuff yesterday, he lasted just four innings and allowed six runs, but you have to give him credit for battling after a brutal first inning in which he allowed five runs. Had Charlie Manuel needed to turn to the 'pen in the first, who knows how the game would have turned out. Worley even chipped in an RBI single in the fourth.

Worley's ERA is rising at a rapid pace. Just four starts ago, his 2.02 ERA thrust him into Rookie of the Year contention. It's now risen to 2.85, which is still spectacular. Hopefully Worley bounces back after the occasional rough outing, like he's done all year.

The Phillies are 12-1 with Hunter Pence, who hit a two-run shot to center yesterday for his third in a Phillies' uniform. They've scored 186 runs since the end of June, which leads the National League. A potent offense combined that their lethal rotation is obviously a tremendous combination. That's why we're being treated to history this year.

After a long flight home and a day off today, the Phils will host Jayson Werth and the Washington Nationals over the weekend. Who would you rather have right now, Werth or Pence?

This year: Werth .226, .332 OBP, .387 SLUG, .719 OPS, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 22 2B, 1 3B, 51 Runs, 14 SB, 118 K, 59 BB.

Pence: .313, .360 OBP, .484 SLUG, .844 OPS, 14 HR, 71 RBI, 29 2B, 3 3B, 55 Runs, 7 SB, 95 K, 34 BB.

Oh, did I mention that Pence is about $700 million cheaper?

Here's a look at the probables:

Friday: Livan Hernandez (6-11, 4.41) vs. Cole Hamels (13-6, 2.53)

Saturday: John Lannan (8-7, 3.56) vs. Roy Oswalt (4-7, 3.84)

Sunday: TBD vs. Roy Halladay (15-4, 2.51)

Victorino to be suspended, helps lift Phils over LA

2011-08-09T15:58:00.000-04:00

Shane Victorino is the only player to be suspended for his role in Friday's benches clearing incident in San Francisco. MLB handed down a three-game suspension which Victorino has appealed.

Thankfully he did. His solo home run in the top of the ninth in Los Angeles, where he still receives his share of boos for the playoff incident when he took exception to them throwing at his head, helped the Phils hang on for a 5-3 victory and give Roy Halladay his NL leading 15 win.

Victorino should not be the only player targeted by MLB. Ramon Ramirez started the incident by throwing at Victorino. Maybe it was because he was frustrated from getting lit up. Maybe Jimmy Rollins swiping second base irritated them. Even if it was partially because J-Roll ran, it's not like the game was out of hand. Whatever the case, Ramirez started the incident and Shane reacted. He didn't throw any punches. He just walked toward the mound. Eli Whiteside was the biggest antagonizer in the whole scene, jumping up and down in Vic's face as if saying "bring it on," and then tackling Placido Polanco.

Victorino could have stopped though. He did push an umpire off of him and dive back into the pile, which was his biggest offense. Pitchers can throw a baseball at 90+ MPH at a hitter, but how is a hitter supposed to defend himself? If he charged the mound, that's different. But he has to be allowed to say, "you know what, I'm not gonna take that." Whiteside, Ramirez and Victorino should all be suspended an equal amount of time, but that's not the case. Fortunetly, the Phils are running away with the NL East while the Giants look less and less like a play-off team everyday. Victorino's appeal will likely drop the suspension down to two games.

In the meantime, let's hope he keeps producing like he has been while the Phillies get the chance to enjoy his services.

They'll look to win their eighth game in nine tries of their current road-trip tonight with Cliff Lee (11-7, 2.96) on the mound fresh off a complete game shut-out over the Giants. Ted Lilly (7-11, 4.86) takes the ball for the Dodgers.

Hunter Pence has the most AB's on the Phils against Lilly (32) with little success. He's batting .188 with one RBI against him in his career. Ryan Howard is hitting .286 against him with two homers, and Victorino is batting .333 with a home run. It will be interesting to see if John Mayberry Jr. will get his first look at Lilly tonight, but Raul Ibanez has a homer and three RBI in just four at bats against him.

Phils sweep 2nd straight

2011-08-04T10:20:00.000-04:00

The Phillies continue to roll. In face, they haven't lost a game since Hunter Pence has been penciled into the five hole.

The Phils completed their second consecutive sweep yesterday, taking all three from the Rockies in Colorado. A day after Kyle Kendrick left the rotation in style, by tossing eight shut-out innings, and Ryan Howard's two home runs powered them to victory, Roy Halladay was on the mound for the finale.

Doc didn't fair quite as well as Kendrick (yes, that sentence just happened. I can't believe it either). Halladay did not have his best stuff in Denver yesterday, but he grinded out his 14th victory of the season. He ended up allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits, one walk and seven strikeouts over seven innings.

The Phils' bats supported Doc in the 8-6 victory, but it didn't exactly start out that way.

Jason Hammell, who dropped to 6-11 by allowing six runs over five innings, walked the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the first. The Phils had an opportunity to give Doc a major cushion, but managed only one run. Howard stuck out, Pence knocked in a run with a sac fly and Raul Ibanez stuck out to end the frame.

Then, a strange bottom of the first allowed the Rockies to briefly capture the lead. Eric Young led-off with a bunt base hit, that actually lofted over Howard's head and dropped into shallow right field as he charged in because of the bunt attempt. After stealing second with Dexter Fowler at the plate, Fowler hit a routine grounder to first. Howard dropped the ball twice, and then flipped it over Halladay's head at first, allowing Young to score and Fowler to advance to second. Howard was correctly charged with a double error on the play, and Colorado led 2-1 after one.

It didn't last long though. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino each tacked on an RBI single in the second before Howard made up for his brutal start with a two-run double to center. Howard later homered in the sixth and finished 2-for-4 with a walk and four RBI. The Phils would never trail again after the second, but Colorado battled and hung around the entire game.

Brad Lidge came on in the ninth and picked up his first save of the season, and 100th with the Phils, in a flawless inning.

The Phils head to San Francisco looking for some revenge from the team that knocked them out of last year's playoffs and ended their series winning streak at nine just last week. Here's a look at the probables:

Tonight: Cliff Lee (10-7, 3.14) vs. Madison Bumgarner (6-10, 3.80)

Friday: Vance Worley (7-1, 2.33) vs. Jonathan Sanchez (4-5, 3.81)

Saturday: Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.62) vs. Matt Cain (9-7, 3.10)

Sunday: Roy Oswalt (4-6, 3.79) vs. Tim Lincecum (9-9, 2.77)

Different day, different heros for Phils

2011-08-02T09:28:00.000-04:00

Another day, more late inning heroics, another victory. I'd say things are going pretty well.

Last night's game had it all: a pitching duel, clutching hitting, home runs, late inning drama, long hard fought at bats and a benches clearing brawl. OK, I made that last part up, but that's just about the only excitement missing from last night's series opener in Colorado.

The Phillies were down to their last strike in the top of the ninth with Rockies' closer Huston Street on the mound. who'd converted 28 of 30 saves. John Mayberry Jr. came to the plate to pinch hit representing the tying run with a runner aboard, trailing 3-1.

Mayberry fell behind early, flailing wildly at a nasty slider that ran down and off the plate. But then Mayberry shortened his stroke, laying off sliders off the plate and fouling off strikes. He knew Street wasn't going to throw him a fastball. He just needed to make a mistake. He did. Mayberry ripped a game tying, pinch-hit two-run home run over the left-field fence, capping a hard fought at bat. The Phillies' bench knew it right away, celebrating with the crack of the bat. Utley's reaction is about the most emotion Philadelphia has ever seen out of him.

Jimmy Rollins followed, crushing a ball to right-center that looked like a go-ahead home run, only to watch it settle into Dexter Fowler's glove at the wall.

Rex Brothers replaced Street in the top of the tenth to a rude greeting. No, not from Rockies' fans. Shane Victorino lead-off and crushed a high fast ball to left for a go-ahead run, and the Phils would remarkably take the game 4-3; their first lead of the game.

Both starters were tremendous. Cole Hamels was about to take another tough luck loss, after allowing two runs on six hits, one walk and five strikeouts over six innings. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the top of the seventh with the tying run in scoring position, but Ross Gload grounded out.

Colorado starter Jhoulys Chacin was even better, once again stifling the Phils by allowing just one run on six hits, two walks and two strikeouts over 7.1 innings. In 14.1 innings against the Phils this year, he's allowed just two runs and struck out eleven.

Michael Stutes surrendered a home run to the first batter he faced in the seventh, but settled in to pitch two solid innings.

Raul Ibanez knocked in the Phils' other run in the seventh with an RBI double that just missed clearing the fence, scoring Hunter Pence.

Kyle Kendrick (5-5, 3.52) takes the ball tonight in what is likely his last start for some time with Roy Oswalt expected back over the weekend. The Rockies will send Aaron Cook (2-5 5.05) to oppose him.

Kendrick started against Colorado back on May 19 and got lit up for five runs over three innings, taking the loss.

Rauuuuuuul plays hero for Phils

2011-08-01T09:12:00.000-04:00

What a day for Raul Ibanez. The veteran has been heating up as of late, culminating with a terrific performance in yesterday's finale to give the Phils a series sweep.

After he'd already hit a solo shot to dead center-field in the second inning, Ibanez stepped to the dish in the bottom of the eighth inning with a runner aboard, two outs and the Phillies trailing 5-3.

Vance Worley had his worst start, in fact his only start that wasn't tremendous, since May 29 against the Mets.

Ryan Howard had just made a base running blunder. After a one-out double, Hunter Pence chopped a ball toward the hole in left. Shortstop Brandon Wood made a nice play to field the ball, but had no play on Pence for what would have been an infield single. The only problem: Howard tried to advance to third on a ball hit to his right; a big no-no. It was an aggressive play, trying to get to third with less than two-out, but it ended up hurting the Phils.

That is until Ibanez crushed a high fastball from Jose Veras into the left-field stands for a game tying, two-run home run, his second long ball of the day.

The game would go extra innings after Chase Utley failed to bring home the winning run from second in the bottom of the ninth.

In the bottom of the tenth, after Howard struck out, Pence lined a ball into the left-field corner for a one-out double. Ibanez stepped up and capped his huge day with a walk-off double into right-field, scoring an ecstatic Pence from second.

Antonio Bastardo picked up the win, he's now 4-0 with a 1.34 ERA. Ibanez's 3-for-5 day gives him 16 homers on the year and 59 RBI.

Worley lasted six innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, no walks and seven strikeouts. He was dominant early, but got into some trouble in the middle innings. Still, Worley didn't pitch all that badly. His ERA rose to 2.33.

Brad Lidge allowed a run in one inning of work on one hit, one walk and one strikeout.

The Phillies will open up a series in Denver tonight against the Rockies. Colorado just traded ace Ubaldo Jimenez to the Indians, and star out-fielder Carlos Gonzalez is currently on the disabled list. Cole Hamels (12-6, 2.61) will be on the mound for the Phils against Jhoulys Chacin (8-8, 3.50). The Phils faced Chacin on May 19, taking the loss and mustering just one run on four hits and one walk, with nine strikeouts against him. Game time is 8:40.

Phils land Pence, Doc dominates Bucs

2011-07-29T22:55:00.000-04:00

For the third straight year, July 29 is a great day for the Phillies. In 2009, the Phils acquired Cliff Lee on that date. Last year, Roy Oswalt came to Philly. Tonight, the Phils landed much coveted outfielder Hunter Pence from Houston and our old buddy Ed Wade.

Pence will provide an immediate boost to the Phils. He's a proven commodity, likely to bat fifth in the lineup. He's a fast, hard working player; Pence is a very good outfielder and he has some pop in his bat.

The Phils also didn't have to part with any Major League talent. Domonic Brown and Vance Worley will remain in the organization.

The 4-for-1 deal sends two of Philadelphia's top prospects, Class A first baseman Jonathan Singleton and Class A pitcher Jared Cosart to Houston. Double-A pitcher Josh Zeid will also go to the Astros, with a fourth player to be named later.

This is a great pick-up for the Phils. He's not the sexy, 30 home run bat many would like to see, but Pence is a very good player. Sure, the Phils may have payed a steep price for him, but you never know with prospects. Pence is still relatively young and can make an immediate impact, and hopefully help the club win a World Series.

Meanwhile, the Phils took Game One against the Pirates easily tonight, 10-3. Roy Halladay was absolutely dominant, allowing no runs on just one hit through seven innings with no walks and five strikeouts. Doc was cruising and would have pitched deeper, but he had a 10-0 lead at the time.

Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins homered, with Utley coming up a double shy of the cycle and driving in four runs.

Cliff Lee and Pence will take on Pittsburgh tomorrow night, looking to start a new series win streak at one.

Phils drop first series since June 17-19

2011-07-29T08:55:00.000-04:00

The Phillies' consecutive series win streak is over, as they dropped two of three to the Giants. Tim Lincecum finally took the mound last night, and if he was still feeling any ill effects, you couldn't tell.

Lincecum lasted six innings, allowing no runs on three hits, four walks and six strikeouts while picking up his ninth win in a 4-1 victory.

Carlos Beltran's debut with San Fran was uneventful; he was 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

The Phillies will open a series with the Pirates tonight, with Roy Halladay on the mound. Pittsburgh always plays the Phils tough, but the Bucs are playing great ball this year, making them that much more dangerous.

There are plenty of updates and rumors swirling about. The Phillies are continuing to get healthy, and reinforcements could be coming soon. Placido Polanco went 0-for-2 with a walk in six innings of a rehab start. He reported no pain and is expected to play a full nine innings tonight. If all goes well, he could return this weekend.

After throwing four innings for Triple-A on Wednesday, Roy Oswalt is expected to make his second rehab start on Monday. He could rejoin the rotation by the end of next week. If Oswalt is healthy, that rotation will be more potent than we'd even anticipated entering the season. Vance Worley joining the "Big Four" is a lethal combination for any opponent.

The Phils may also be added reinforcements from their Triple-A squad, the Houston Astros. Well, at least it seems that way. The team does acquire a Astro seemingly every year.

Talks about Hunter Pence have intensified, and it's rumored that the Phillies have until today to close the deal before Houston looks elsewhere. It's being widely reported that the Phils may not have to give up Domonic Brown and/or Worley as once thought. The big names being mentioned are high class A first baseman Jonathan Singleton and high class A righthander Jarred Cosart.

While they are big prospects, they're just that, prospects. Pence is a proven commodity that could help this team in the post-season when they face a team with a rotation like San Francisco's. Giving up Worley in the deal would be a mistake, but keeping all your Major League talent and adding Pence seems like a no-brainer. Get it done Ruben!

Phils hope to keep streak alive

2011-07-28T09:09:00.000-04:00

The Phillies need a victory in tonight's rubber-match with the Giants to keep their series winning streak alive and extend it to ten. An all-star will stand in their way with either Tim Lincecum or Ryan Vogelsong on the mound. San Francisco is also expected to have Carlos Beltran in the lineup, making his Giants debut.

Game One of this series was one of the more exciting games I've had the privilege of attending in recent memory.

Vance Worley continued his dominant stretch on the mound, tossing 114 pitches for his first career complete game. He improved to 7-1 while allowing two runs on three hits, one walk and five strikeouts; throwing himself into the NL Rookie of the Year award race. His remarkable streak of starts lasting five innings or more, while allowing one run or less ended at six, when former fan favorite Aaron Rowand hit a pinch-hit homer in the eighth.

The offense delivered plenty of support for Worley, putting seven runs on the board on the strength of four home runs. Chase Utley's certainly drew the most buzz, as he sped around the bases for his third career inside the park home run. He's tied for the lead in that category among active players with Jimmy Rollins and Bobby Abreu among others. Raul Ibanez helped erase the Phils' early 1-0 deficit with a three-run homer in the first, on the first pitch he saw from Barry Zito.

John Mayberry Jr. and Ryan Howard each added solo shots for the Phils.

The bats weren't quite as loud against Matt Cain last night; while Cole Hamels was once again the tough luck loser. Hamels allowed two runs (although Domonic Brown's blunder aided San Fran in scoring their second run) on six hits, one walk and six strikeouts in 7.2 innings.

Cain was better, allowing one run (unearned) on four hits, one walk and one strikeout.

Brad Lidge came in to pick up the final out of the eighth inning, and he did so by striking out Cody Ross. Antonio Bastardo fanned two in a one-two-three top of the ninth.

Brian Wilson picked up his league leading 32nd save in a perfect bottom of the ninth.

Kyle Kendrick (5-4 3.45) looks to fend off the Giants' bats tonight, and hopes to gain some run support.

Phils win 9th Straight Series, Trade Rumors

2011-07-25T09:04:00.000-04:00

The Phillies have been on fire, securing their ninth straight series victory with a 5-3 win over the Padres yesterday. They'll try for the four-game sweep with Cliff Lee on the mound this afternoon.

Unfortunately for the Phils, the Braves have been hot and right on their heels for a good month or so. Yes, 3.5 games isn't exactly right on their heels, but you got the sense that if the Phils started to struggle a bit, the Braves were in position to pounce. The Phils are starting to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the NL East of late, moving six games ahead of the second place Braves after Atlanta dropped last night's game to the Reds on Sunday Night Baseball. The Fightins' are 13-5 in July with some tough opponents (San Francisco, Pittsburgh) ahead to close out the month.

Roy Halladay made his first start after leaving the mound in Chicago due to heat exhaustion, and he bounced back strong. Doc wasn't dominant at the start, but he only grew stronger as the game wore on. Halladay picked up his 12th win of the year by tossing eight innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits, one walk and eight strikeouts. He retired the last ten batters he faced before being removed for Antonio Bastardo who picked up his eighth save a day after a very shaky performance. Doc joined Cole Hamels and Jair Jurrjens with 12 victories to lead the National League.

No news on the trade front yet. Carlos Beltran reportedly has informed the Mets that he would only like to be traded within the National League, and only to a first place team. Atlanta falling back in the NL East race recently may hurt their chances of acquiring Beltran.

It was rumored that Vance Worley would be centered around any deal the Phils put in place for Hunter Pence of Houston. One word: Don't Do It!

Pence would look great with the Phils, I'd much prefer him to Beltran, but the Phils can't keep trading away their young pitching. Their starting rotation is tremendous, but the only good, young pitchers are Hamels and Worley. They've already traded J.A. Happ, who is having a bad year for the Astros but was tremendous with the Phils, for an old pitcher who is struggling to stay healthy. While you always have to give to receive, Houston doesn't have that much need for Major League ready talent anyway. They're in no position to be considered a legitimate contender in the next few years. Ruben Amaro Jr. and Ed Wade have made several swaps in the past. Wade is familiar with the Phillies' farm system, and if Amaro pushed hard enough, he may be able to pry Pence away from the Stros' without the big league roster taking a hit. Worley is just too valuable.

Worley dominates, Rollins slugs Phils to series win

2011-07-21T09:07:00.000-04:00

Vance Worley is quickly making a name for himself in the big leagues. Yet another dominant performance in the sweltering heat yesterday afternoon in Chicago led the way to a Phillies 9-1 victory, as they won their eighth consecutive series. Worley improved to 6-1 with a 2.02 ERA by tossing eight innings, allowing one run on four hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

Worley has now made six consecutive starts going five or more innings and allowing one earned run or less in each start. The last Phillies starter to do that: Steve Carlton in 1972. Worley and Carlton are the only Phillies pitchers since since 1920 to accomplish such a feat. Since June 18, when Worley was recalled from the minors, no pitcher has a lower ERA.

Worley could cause a problem, albeit a good problem, for the Phillies' brass if and when Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton are set to return to the rotation. The team can't send this guy down, and he shouldn't be pitching out of the bullpen. In the meantime, hopefully Worley keeps pitching well and we can all enjoy the show.

The offense did a lot to back Worley and get him a lead from the start. Jimmy Rollins homered twice, once from each side of the plate for the second time in his career. Chase Utley drove in two runs, and chipping in an RBI were: Michael Martinez, Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino and Brian Schneider.

The Phils scored two in the first, three in the second and one in each the third and fourth, chasing Ryan Dempster early. He lasted just three innings, allowing six run on seven hits, three walks and five strikeouts.

The bats put together a rather unlikely two-out rally in the second. After Domonic Brown and Schneider struck out, Worley was the only man standing between Dempster and a quick one-two-three inning. Worley responded by ripping his first career double into the right-center field gap. Rollins followed with a double down the right-field line. Martinez drove him in with an RBI single, stole second, and scored on Utley's double.

Martinez is lucky his ground-ball found its' way into center-field, otherwise he would have made a terrible mistake. Worley had just scored from second base on the scorching hot afternoon, and had just gotten back into the dugout. He hadn't even had a chance to sit down, when Martinez swung at the first pitch and hit it into center. Had Martinez hit a weak grounder to second, Worley would have had to take the mound immediately after running the bases. A veteran player like Utley would have taken a pitch if not more to give his pitcher time to rest. Someone must have pointed this out to Martinez, because next time it could come back to bite the Phillies' starter.

With a Braves loss, the Phils moved 4.5 games up in the NL East. The Phils are off today before opening a four-game set with San Diego, while the Braves will wrap up their series in Colorado at 3:10. Tommy Hanson is on the mound for Atlanta, while the Rockies will send Jhoulys Chacin to the hill.

Rollins, Martinez clutch in Phils come back win

2011-07-20T09:39:00.000-04:00

The top of the lineup did something last night in Chicago the Phillies have been waiting for it to do for a long time: steal a game.

The duo of Jimmy Rollins and Michael Martinez did just that in a 4-2 victory that splits the series at one game a piece entering this afternoon's finale.

Trailing 2-0 entering the eighth inning, Matt Garza was still on the mound. He'd allowed just three hits over seven innings, and Chicago even let him bat to lead-off the bottom of the seventh. Rollins led-off the inning and his single did two key things. It put the lead-off man aboard, and it removed Garza from the hill.

Sean Marshall entered the game, and promptly surrendered a single to Martinez and the Phils had their first two men on. Chase Utley, who's struggled mightily of late and has been terrible against lefties all year stroked a double into the left-center field gap, plating Rollins and Martinez to tie the score.

An inning later, the Phillies started a two out rally.

Ben Francisco's pinch hit single brought Rollins to the plate. J-Roll ripped a ball down the third base line that likely would have tied the game, had Aramis Ramirez not been guarding the line. Ramirez made a tremendous play to knock the ball down, but Rollins' infield single kept the inning alive.

Martinez followed with a bloop double down the right-field line that rattled around against the wall in the Phillies' bullpen. Reed Johnson bobbled the ball, which allowed Rollins to score behind Francisco, putting the Phillies up for good, 4-2.

Antonio Bastardo dominated once again, striking out the side in a one-two-three bottom of the ninth for his seventh save of the season.

It looked like once again, the Phillies' all-star rotation was struggling post all-star break. Cliff Lee started the game by allowing a double, a home run and a double to put the Phils in an early 2-0 hole. Fortunately, he settled down to pitch six innings, allowing those two runs on eight hits, no walks and six strikeouts.

Today is supposed to be another scorcher in Chicago. Hopefully Vance Worley doesn't suffer the same ill effects Roy Halladay did on Monday.

Fox Sports is reporting the Phillies and the Boston Red Sox are the most aggressive suitors for Carlos Beltran. The report states the Mets may not have to pay as much of Beltran's remaining $6 million salary this season as anticipated, because of the high interest from many teams. A prior report indicated the Mets may be willing to pay most or all of his remaining salary for a top prospect in return. Beltran will be a free agent, and would likely be a rental if acquired. While Beltran would look great in red pinstripes, hopefully they don't decimate the farm system for a rental player not quite of superstar stature any longer.

Doc suffers heat exhaustion, first loss in two months

2011-07-19T09:02:00.000-04:00

Roy Halladay is human. Who knew?

Typically, Charlie Manuel has to hogtie Halladay and drag him from the mound to remove him from a game. Last night, Doc removed himself.

After struggling with the heat all night, it finally got the best of him in the fifth, trailing 3-1. Halladay was suffering from heat exhaustion and the Phils had to make an early call to the pen.

Halladay took the loss in the 6-1 defeat, but more importantly he is fine and intends to make his next start. Last night was a struggle for him though.

"He was hot and dizzy," Manuel said. "You could tell in that third inning. He was kind of gasping for air. He was really sweating."

It's disappointing that the offense wasn't able to help out on such a brutally hot and humid night. After all, the Cubs had Rodrigo Lopez on the mound. Lopez's career ERA against the Phils was close to six. He has a career ERA of 4.81, and sported a 5.70 ERA during his tenure with the Phillies in 2009. Basically, he's hittable.
The Phillies managed just one run on five hits against Lopez in 6.2 innings. The lone run coming on Jimmy Rollins' ninth home run of the year.

The Phillies are 2-2 after the all-star break, losing games started by all-stars Cole Hamels and Halladay, and winning games started by Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick. Another all-star takes the mound tonight. Can Cliff Lee reverse the trend?

He may have extra enforcements backing him up tonight. Shane Victorino is expected to be activated prior to tonight's game, and could be in the lineup. Meanwhile, Placido Polanco is not getting better and he requested a cortisone shot in his back. He'd been trying to avoid the shot, because he had four last season, but he's still in considerable pain. He's eligible to come off the DL tomorrow, which clearly will not happen.

Phils fans have a reason to be hopeful that a roster move is coming. Manuel told Ruben Amaro Jr. that he wants a big right handed bat and a relief pitcher. Here's some of what he said to reporters:

"I want somebody good. If we're going to get somebody, I want somebody good. I want somebody that's going to help us. I don't want to get what we've already got. I always think big. There's some guys out there."

Music to all of our ears for sure. Yes, it will be difficult with the team very close to the luxury tax, but they've surprised us before. And with names like Hunter Pence and Carlos Beltran floating around, well, we can all hope.

A look at current Phillies all-star game careers

2011-07-13T16:05:00.000-04:00

Despite joining their teammates on the National League all-star roster, Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino were not able to play due to injuries. I decided to take a look at how the current Phillies hitters have fared in their all-star history. It's not very pretty.

Chase Utley 2-for-9 (.222 average), one strikeout

Ryan Howard 0-for-4, two strikeouts

Jimmy Rollins 3-for-3, two runs scored, one walk, one stolen base

Victorino 1-for-2, one run, one strikeout

Raul Ibanez 0-for-2

Polanco 0-for-1

That's a total of 6-for-21 (.285) with no RBI and no extra base hits.

What does this mean? Well, nothing. But it satisfied my curiosity.

Doc perfect in AS Game, Lee has a hiccup

2011-07-13T09:01:00.000-04:00

The Phillies' representatives at this year's Mid-Summer Classic were on the verge of doing something special last night.

Roy Halladay had the honor of starting on the mound for the National League. He responded by pitching two perfect innings with one strikeout and a lot of weak ground-balls. He threw 19 pitches, 14 for strikes.

Teammate Cliff Lee followed Halladay to the hill, and pitched a perfect third inning. The Phils had retired the American League's starting lineup in order to start the game. In a bit of a surprising move, Lee came back out for the fourth. After retiring the first two batters, Adrian Gonzalez stood between the Phils' aces and a 12 up, 12 down contribution to the National League squad.

But Lee missed his spot with a fastball, and Gonzalez broke a scoreless tie by blasting a solo shot to right-center field.

Lee settled down and should have been out of the inning, when he forced Miguel Bautista to hit a weak pop-up down the right-field line. Prince Fielder dropped the ball though, and Bautista was awarded a single. Josh Hamilton followed with a broken bat blooper that dropped into center field and ended Lee's night.

Adrian Beltre followed by lacing a single to left off Nationals' reliever Tyler Clippard, who would get the win in the National League's 5-1 victory, but Hunter Pence threw a rocket right on the money to Brian McCann and Bautista was out by 15 feet.

Lee pitched 1.2 innings and allowed one run on three hits.

Prince Fielder jacked a three-run shot in the following inning, and seven pitchers followed for the National League to keep the AL off the board and hold on for a second straight National League victory.

The Phillies' schedule resumes on Friday with Vance Worley (4-1 2.20) toeing the rubber against knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey (4-7 3.61).

Cole Hamels (11-4 2.32) takes the ball on Saturday against Jon Niese (8-7 3.88).

Roy Halladay said he hopes to take the mound for Sunday's finale against Mike Pelfrey (5-8 4.55), but no decision has been made.

The Phillies won't have to worry about K-Rod closing out any games in the series. It's being reported that the Mets have traded their closer to the Brewers for players to be named later. That's good news for the Phillies this weekend, but potentially bad news later in the season as the Brewers should be one of the NL's last teams standing.

Phils enter break hot, Doc to start

2011-07-11T16:24:00.001-04:00

After a dominating 14-1 win on Sunday gave the Phillies an important series victory over Atlanta, the Phils head into the All-Star break tied for the franchise record in victories with 57. Their 57-34 record is the best in baseball, and places them 3.5 games ahead of the Braves.

The victory also gave Cole Hamels his eleventh victory of the year, tying him with Roy Halladay for the team lead.

Of the Phillies' five all-stars, only two can actually play. Placido Polanco and Shane Victorino are both out due to injury, and Hamels in ineligible because he pitched on Sunday. But, Halladay will have a big impact on the game as he's been chosen as the National League's starting pitcher by Giants' manager Bruce Bochey. Doc will likely be the only NL pitcher to throw two innings.

Bochey mentioned during a press conference today that he'd discussed adding Ryan Howard to his roster, but decided against it because he already had three first baseman.

When the unofficial second half opens for the Phils on Friday, they'll send Vance Worley to the hill in New York against the Mets. Worley's one bad outing this season came at Citi Field on May 29, when he lasted just three innings and allowed eight runs (five earned) on 12 hits. He was sent back to Triple-A after the game until his June 18 recall in Seattle. He claimed he was tired, after entering several games in relief, and that he wasn't stretched out enough for the debacle against the Mets.

Some of the Phillies team leaders at the break are:

Victorino- Batting Average (.303), Runs (53), Triples (9), OPS (.900)

Howard- Home Runs (18), RBI (72), Doubles (18), Walks (47)

Jimmy Rollins- Stolen Bases (19), Hits (95)

Raul Ibanez- Doubles (18)

Halladay- Wins (11), Strikeouts (138)

Hamels- Wins (11), ERA (2.32), WHIP (0.93)

Ryan Madson- Saves (15)

Bats break out in 14-2 win over Fish

2011-07-06T12:48:00.000-04:00

The Phillies secured another series victory over the Florida Marlins last night in convincing fashion, 14-2. The Phils put up season highs in runs and hits (18).

The offensive outburst backed Cole Hamels, who joined Roy Halladay in the 10+ win club. Hamels improved to 10-4, allowing two runs on eight hits, one walk and five strikeouts over eight strong innings. The Halladay-Hamels duo is the Phillies' first tandem with ten or more wins before the all-star break since Kevin Millwood and Randy Wolf did it in 2003.

The Phils continued to pound Chris Volstad, who lasted just four innings and allowed seven runs on nine hits, one walk and four strikeouts.

Ryan Howard's dominance of Volstad continued, as he went 4-for-5 with four RBI, three runs scored and one walk. He hit a two-run bomb off Volstad during a five run third inning.

Jimmy Rollins also joined the four-hit club, raising his average to .261 with three runs scored and a walk of his own.

The Phillies went off on former Phil Brian Sanches in the ninth, putting six more runs on the board. Michael Martinez turned around his 0-for-5 night in the ninth with a bases clearing, three-run triple. Howard would drive him in with an RBI double, and Raul Ibanez followed with a two-run shot to right to cap the scoring.

Every starter, except Hamels, had at least one hit in the game.

The Phillies will look for the sweep tonight which will be no easy task. Kyle Kendrick takes the hill, opposing Florida's best starter this season, Anibal Sanchez.

Phils have at least 4 All-Stars

2011-07-05T16:52:00.000-04:00

The Phillies' dominant starting rotation will be well represented at the all-star game, as Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels will all join elected starting third baseman Placido Polanco to represent the National League.

Cole Hamels won't pitch in the game, as long as the Phils stick with their projected rotation which has Hamels pitching tonight in Florida and on Sunday against Atlanta. Starters that throw on the day before the break are not permitted to participate in the Mid-Summer Classic.

Shane Victorino could join his teammates in Phoenix, as he's once again nominated for the Final Vote in the NL. He won the Final Vote last season and would be the first two-time victor. After 24 hours, he had a narrow lead. Victorino is expected to return to the lineup tomorrow.

The Phillies optioned Vance Worley to Triple-A, only to keep him throwing during the All-Star break. The Phillies plan to use the big three of Halladay, Lee and Hamels against Atlanta before the break, leaving no opening for Worley to start another game before the break. He's been tremendous, and will return to the club when MLB play resumes.

John Mayberry Jr. was recalled to fill Worley's spot. In 28 games for the Iron Pigs, Mayberry is batting .265 with four home runs, 15 RBI, 16 runs, eight doubles, five walks, 23 strikeouts and two stolen bases. He went 1-for-4 yesterday with a homer.

Mayberry is expected to be with the club in Florida tonight as the Phillies continue their series with the Marlins. Hamels will take the mound for the first time since exiting against Boston when Adrian Gonzalez lined a ball off his glove hand. Hamels is 9-4 with a 2.41 ERA. Chris Volstad, who the Phillies have a ton of success against, will oppose him. In one meeting this year, the Phils tagged Volstad for eight runs on ten hits.

Lester dominates Phils to prevent sweep

2011-07-01T09:26:00.000-04:00

Jon Lester dominated the Phils in yesterday's series finale, taking the win 5-2 and avoiding a sweep for the Red Sox.

Lester and Cole Hamels were engaged in a pitcher's duel early, before Hamels had to leave the game after being smoked on his non-pitching hand by an Adrian Gonzalez line drive. X-rays were negative, but Hamels' next start is up in the air.

David Herndon relieved Hamels in the fifth, promptly allowing two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth, which would be all the support Lester would need.

Lester went seven strong, allowing no runs and just two hits, two walks and five strikeouts.

Jason Varitek hit two homers in the game for Boston, and Dustin Pedroia tacked on a solo shot.

Ryan Howard broke up a 5-0 shutout in the ninth with a two-run upper deck bomb off Bobby Jenks, which forced Terry Francona to go to his closer, Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon picked up his 15th save of the season, striking out one in 2/3 of an inning.

The Phillies open a three-game set in Toronto this afternoon to close out Interleague Play for 2011.

Today: Kyle Kendrick (4-4 3.23) vs. Ricky Romero (7-7 2.74)
Kendrick will make his start start since June 15, when he allowed just one run over seven innings in a victory over Florida. In five starts this season, Kendrick is 2-2 and has allowed ten earned runs in 23 innings.

Romero has been on fire of late. In his last three starts, he's allowed just three runs and struck out 21. He's pitched at least seven innings in each of his last nine starts. His last outing was a complete game shutout over St. Louis on June 26.

Saturday: Roy Halladay (10-3 2.40) vs. Carlos Villanueva (5-1 3.15)
Halladay is making his first start in Toronto since being traded to the Phillies. He's coming off a complete game victory over Oakland in which he allowed just one run. Doc went 3-0 in June with a 2.00 ERA.

Villanueva doesn't strike out many batter (44 in 65.2 innings) but he's pitched well for the Jays this season. He beat the Cardinals in his last outing, allowing two runs over six innings. He was 3-1 with a 3.73 ERA in June.

Sunday: Cliff Lee (9-5 2.66) vs. Jo-Jo Reyes (3-7 4.77)
Everyone knows what kind of June Lee had. He's guaranteed to win NL player of the month. He went 5-0 with a 0.21 ERA and has thrown three consecutive complete game shutouts. His strikeouts were a little low (29 in 42 innings) but that's enabled him to keep his pitch counts lower.

Reyes allowed a season high six runs over just 3 2/3 innings against Pittsburgh in his last start. It was the fifth time this season he failed to pitch into the fourth. He went 2-3 with a 6.11 ERA in June and has lost his last two starts.

Worley, Ibanez lead Phils to series victory over BoSox

2011-06-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

The Phillies have wrapped up a series victory against the Boston Red Sox after taking Game Two, 2-1.

Vance Worley was outstanding once again in the biggest test of his career. He had all of his pitches working early, even locking up David Ortiz for a called strike three in his first at bat on nasty cutter which ran back over the outside corner of the plate.

Worley improved to 3-1, tossing seven strong innings, allowing one run on five hits, two walks and five strikeouts. Boston starter John Lackey drove in their only run, with an RBI double in the fifth.

Raul Ibanez was the offensive hero for the Phils, going 3-for-3 and hitting the game winning home run in the seventh, breaking a 1-1 tie. He also had a double and drove in both of Philadelphia's runs.

The most talked about move before the game was David Ortiz being reinserted to the lineup and playing first base, with Adrian Gonzalez moving to right field for the second time in his career. It didn't end up hurting the Sox in the field, but Big Papi was 0-for-4 with a strikeout and two men left of base. Gonzo was 1-for-4.

The Phillies look for the sweep this afternoon, but it will be no easy task with Jon Lester on the mound. The same rings true for Boston, as the Phillies send Cole Hamels to the bump for the finale.

Lee tosses third straight CG SO

2011-06-29T09:02:00.000-04:00

Cliff Lee continued his dominant June once again, tossing his third consecutive complete game shutout against the vaunted Boston offense as the Phillies took game one 5-0.

Lee kept Boston off balance all night, allowing just two hits, two walks and five strikeouts. Lee improved to 5-0 in five June starts, with a 0.21 ERA . That's one run allowed in 42 innings. His scoreless streak increased to 32 innings, which is the fifth longest in franchise history. The record of 41 2/3 is held by Grover Cleveland Alexander. If Lee were to toss a fourth consecutive complete game shutout in his next outing, he'd still be just shy of the record, needing one more inning to surpass Alexander.

Lee had a no hitter through five innings, before Marco Scutaro led-off the sixth with a single. Darnell McDonald picked up Boston's only other hit.

Josh Beckett was making his first start since June 15, when he threw a one-hit complete game shutout. His following start was scratched because he was battling the flu. Beckett was not quite as sharp this time around as the Phils got to him early.

Domonic Brown hit a two-run shot into the Phillies' bullpen in the second inning, his fifth of the season. Lee helped his own cause by tacking on his fifth RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Shane Victorino sealed the deal in the sixth with a two-run shot of his own, his ninth of the year.

Beckett dropped to 6-3 while Lee improved to 9-5.

Many expect David Ortiz to make his first start of the year during Interleague Play at first base, with Adrian Gonzalez attempting the outfield for the first time in his career. Vance Worley could have his hands full.

Could/Should the Phillies get Happ Back?

2011-06-28T20:01:00.000-04:00

J.A. Happ was terrific for the Phillies whenever they called upon him. He always seemed to be the tough luck last man out. He'd narrowly miss the roster out of camp despite pitching his tail off, or be banished to the bullpen after several tremendous starts. He's not a stud pitcher, probably never will be, but Happ was very good for the Fightins'. A big piece in the Roy Oswalt deal last year, Happ departed for Houston, once again being the tough luck man out of Philly.

Things haven't gone as smoothly for Happ with the Astros. After starting 2010 with the Phillies 1-0 with a 1.76 ERA, he declined but pitched solid in a Stros' uniform, going 5-4 with a 3.75 ERA.

This year, however, has been an entirely different story for Happ. He's 3-9 with a 5.54 ERA in 16 starts.

Why, you ask, would the Phillies want a 3-9 pitcher with a 5+ ERA?

Imagine pitching very well for a contending team, a team, that won a World Series and appeared in another while you were on the team, only to be traded to the Houston Astros, essentially guaranteeing an early finish to each season. That's not going to give many players much motivation.

Happ is still young, and could flourish once again with a change of scenery. The Phillies have much better coaching and personal than Houston, and with the injury issues of Roy Oswalt and Joe Blanton, the team could use some extra insurance. Happ's price tag is also unlikely to ever be lower than it is now.

Houston has little need for a struggling middle of the rotation pitcher. The Phillies, however, have seen the upside in Happ and could once again. Could be a good time for Ruben Amaro Jr. to reach out to our old "pal" Ed Wade.

Lee blanks Cards for 2nd straight shutout

2011-06-23T13:10:00.000-04:00

Cliff Lee's dominant June continued last night, with his second consecutive complete game shut-out, in a 4-0 victory over the Cardinals.

Lee struck out just three and walked one, but allowed just six hits and no runs to lower his ERA to 2.87. The night didn't start out great for Lee, who uncharacteristically threw his first seven pitches out of the strike zone. But Lee regrouped, improving his June record to 4-0.

His ERA in June is 0.27 with 33 innings pitched, 19 hits allowed, 24 strikeouts and six walks.

Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard each hit home runs in the fourth, and Shane Victorino tacked on his eighth triple of the year.

Roy Oswalt looks to complete the sweep tonight, and the Phillies hope Chris Carpenter's struggles continue, at least for one more start.

Vargas blanks Phils who drop series in Seattle

2011-06-20T12:31:00.000-04:00

The Phillies dropped two of three in Seattle over the weekend. The Mariners took the series yesterday behind a dominant performance from Jason Vargas who threw a three-hit complete game shutout. The Phillies really never threatened Vargas, who struck out six and walk two in the 2-0 victory.

Cole Hamels was the tough luck loser, matching zeros on the scoreboard with Vargas until the sixth. Hamels lasted 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, no walks and six strikeouts.

Oddly enough, the least favorable pitching match-up for the Phillies; Saturday's contest of Felix Hernandez vs. Vance Worley, turned out to be the only game the Phillies won in the series.

The Phillies are still holding a comfortable five game lead over the second place Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

They have the night off before opening a three-game set in St. Louis against the Cardinals tomorrow. Here's a look at the probables:

Tuesday: Roy Halladay (9-3 2.56) vs. Kyle McClellan (6-3 3.96)
Halladay is coming off an outing against the Marlins in which he allowed four earned runs, which is tied for the most he's allowed in a game this season. He'll take his second shot at win number ten tomorrow, after picking up a no decision in the Florida outing which snapped a three-game win streak.

This is McClellan's second start back from the disabled list. He took the loss on June 15 against Washington, allowing five runs (three earned) in five innings. McClellan started the season 4-0 with a 3.23 ERA in April, but fell off to 2-2 with a 4.38 ERA in May before being placed on the shelf.

Wednesday: Cliff Lee (7-5 3.12) vs. Kyle Lohse (7-3 2.88)
Lee has been dominant of late. He's 3-0 in June, with a 0.38 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. He pitched a dominant two-hit complete game shutout against the Marlins in his last outing.

Lohse started the season on a terrific note, going 4-1 with a 1.64 ERA in April and 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA in May. However, in June, Lohse is 0-1 with a 6.48 ERA. He's allowed four earned runs in each of his last three starts, and has served up five home runs over that span after allowing just three in the first two months of the season.

Thursday: Roy Oswalt (4-5 3.38) vs. Chris Carpenter (1-7 4.47)
Oswalt has struggled since his return from the DL, going 1-4. He's received terrible run support, but has also allowed an unusually high number of base runners. He's 1-3 in June with a 4.81 ERA.

Carpenter usually form's one of the games most dynamic one-two punches with Adam Wainwright at the top of the St. Louis rotation. But Wainwright is out for the year, and Carpenter is having his worst year since 2002 thus far. In May, he was 1-3 with a 5.12 ERA. In June, he's gone 0-2 with a 4.30 ERA. In his last two starts, he's allowed ten runs (nine earned). Carpenter is certainly the type of pitcher capable of turning around his season at any point. The Phillies are hoping it happens after they depart St. Louis.

Lee's CG SO completes sweep

2011-06-17T09:28:00.000-04:00

The Phillies and Cliff Lee took care of business yesterday, finishing off the four game sweep over the Marlins with a 3-0 victory.

Lee was tremendous from start to finish. He pitched a complete game two-hit shut-out en route to his seventh victory of the year. Lee didn't strike out many batters, just four, which allowed him to keep his pitch count down and cruise through the afternoon.

It took the Marlins until the fifth inning to come up with a base hit against Lee, when Mike Stanton hit a two-out single.

The Phils had just taken the lead the previous inning, thanks to a two-out, RBI double by Lee, smoking a ball off the wall in right-center field which allowed Michael Martinez to score all the way from first.

Lee gave himself a run and that was all he needed, although Ryan Howard tacked on a solo shot in the fifth and Jimmy Rollins hit an RBI double in the sixth.

The sweep pushed Florida (32-37) 11.5 games behind the Phils and in sole possession of last place in the NL East. Meanwhile, the Phillies have built a five game lead over the second place Atlanta Braves.

Following the game, the Phillies designated J.C. Romero for assignment, closing his tenure with the Phils. He was a valued asset in 2007 and 2008 after Boston let him go, but command has been a major issue for Romero and with the emergence of lefty Antonio Bastardo, it was time to let Romero go.

The Phillies are in Seattle this weekend as Interleague play kicks off across Major League Baseball once again. There are some interesting storylines, including Raul Ibanez's return to Seattle. Here's a look at the probables:

Tonight: Roy Oswalt (4-4 3.14) vs. Michael Pineda (6-4 2.72)
Oswalt snapped a four-game losing streak in his last outing against the Cubs, allowing three runs over seven innings. He's 1-0 in two career starts against the Mariners.

Pineda kicked off his career by going 4-1 in April with a 2.01 ERA. The big hard throwing rookie went 2-1 with a 2.81 ERA in May but is coming off the worst start of his career. Against Detroit on June 11, he lasted just 5.1 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits, one walk and four strikeouts. He has 80 strikeouts in 82.2 innings this year, and just 23 walks. He's been a very good pitcher all year.

Saturday: Vance Worley (2-1 3.75) vs. Felix Hernandez (7-5 3.30)
Worley is back with the club, making his first start since he was demolished by the Mets on May 29. He lasted just three innings, allowed eight runs (five earned) on 12 hits. Until that point, he'd been 2-0 with a 2.14 ERA. Since his demotion, he's been lights out in Triple-A and is looking to prove he belongs with the big club. He has quite a task on his hands, as he opposes one of the game's most dominant arms.

Hernandez is one of the game's most electric starters, and arguably has the best stuff of any starter. His 103 strikeouts ranks fifth in MLB, and second in the AL. Hernandez is not having his typical year thus far. Last season he was 13-12 with 2.27 ERA and 232 strikeouts. In 2009, he was 19-5 with a 2.49 ERA and 217 strikeouts. He is truly one of the game's best and should be an interesting test for a Phillies offense that is starting to hit the ball again.

Sunday: Cole Hamels (9-2 2.49) vs. Jason Vargas (4-4 4.13)
Hamels has been the best left handed pitcher in baseball this year, and one of the game's best. He pitched seven great innings against the Marlins in his last start before leaving with back tightness. He says he's good to go and the Phillies certainly hope this is the case. He has 97 strikeouts in 97.2 innings, ranking fourth in the NL in K's behind teammates Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, and Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers.

Vargas is coming off a 6-3 loss to the Angels in which he allowed five runs in seven innings. He's gone seven or more innings in seven of his last nine outings. The lefty is a solid veteran pitcher that eats innings and keeps his team in the ball game.

Phils sweep twin bill

2011-06-16T09:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a good day for the Phillies, who swept the day-night double-header and have taken the first three games of the series from Florida. Each game was very different.

In the first game, Elih Villanueva made his Major League debut and it was a memorable one for him. Just for all the wrong reasons.

He lasted just three innings, allowed eight runs on five hits and five walks with two strikeouts. He threw 92 pitches, 52 strikes and 40 balls.

Leading 2-1 in the third, the Phils put a six spot on the board to chase Villanueva from the game. They had just two hits in the inning, but made them count. Wilson Valdez came up with a huge bases clearing three-run triple, after a hit by pitch, a walk and an intentional walk. Jimmy Rollins would eventually follow with a three-run home run to seal the game.

It was J-Roll's fourth RBI of the game and second multi-run homer in as many days.

Kyle Kendrick pitched a solid seven innings, allowing one run on five hits, one walk and five strikeouts as the Phils took the first game 8-1.

The nightcap featured a good pitching match-up of Roy Halladay against Anibal Sanchez. Halladay didn't have his best stuff, but the bats took him off the hook with some late inning heroics.

Trailing 4-2 in the bottom of the ninth with Marlins' closer Leo Nunez on the mound, the Phils started a rally.

Carlos Ruiz hit a one-out single, and Ross Gload followed with a pinch hit single. Then, the Phillies' fortunes seemed to be turning against them.

Jimmy Rollins hit as absolute blast up the middle, which hit Nunez and rolled right to the first baseman who stepped on the bag for out number two. The ball would have been very difficult for any Florida fielder to reach, and would have likely been an RBI single which would have also moved the tying run to third.

But fortunately, Shane Victorino played hero, ripping a line drive to center field, just out of the reach of a diving Jose Lopez, tying the game at four.

An inning later, Carlos Ruiz hit a walk-off single, scoring Ryan Howard who was hit by a pitch to lead-off the inning.

The 5-4 victory pushes Florida 10.5 games out.

Halladay didn't pitch his best game for the Phils, allowing two runs in the first on a Logan Morrison RBI ground-out and a Gaby Sanchez home run.

He allowed two more in the fourth, on a weakly hit two-run single of the bat of John Buck.

Doc lasted seven innings, allowing the four runs on six hits, no walks an eight strikeouts. Ryan Madson picked up his third win of the season, pitching a scoreless top of the tenth.

Sanchez deserved a better fate, allowing two runs over seven innings on four hits, four walks and six strikeouts.

Cliff Lee looks to put the nail in Florida's coffin this afternoon. A sweep would push the Marlins 11.5 out, a likely insurmountable deficit.

Hamels wins 9th in 9-1 rout of Fish

2011-06-15T09:06:00.000-04:00

The bats produced again last night, backing another strong outing from Cole Hamels who picked up his ninth victory of the season in a 9-1 win.

After allowing a run in the first, Hamels was nearly un-hittable over seven strong innings. He allowed the one run on three hits, one walk and six strikeouts. Through from the last out in the first through the seventh inning, Hamels retired sixteen consecutive batters before Logan Morrison reached on a Ryan Howard error to lead-off the seventh.

Ryan Howard hit a sight for sore eyes in the first inning: an opposite field home run. It was his first hit to left since May 10. The two-run shot gave the Phils a 2-1 lead and they never looked back.

The Phillies also got home runs from Chase Utley (two-run in the 3rd), Domonic Brown (solo in the fourth, solo in the seventh) and Jimmy Rollins (two-run in the sixth).

Placido Polanco also contributed an RBI, the only run not produced via the long ball.

Marlins' starter Chris Volstad dropped to 2-7, lasting 5.2 innings and allowing eight runs on ten hits, two walks, four home runs and four strikeouts.

With the loss and a Mets victory over the Braves, the Marlins fell into fourth place in the NL East, 8.5 behind the Phils, who moved 3.5 ahead of the second place Braves.

For the first game of today's doubleheader, the Marlins will send Elih Villanueva to the mound, making his Major League debut. He's 4-5 in Triple-A this season, with a 5.23 ERA. He's coming off a six inning shut-out performance on June 9, and has allowed a total of four earned runs over his last three starts.

Phils set for scuffling Fish

2011-06-14T10:39:00.000-04:00

The Phillies open a four game set against the Florida Marlins tonight at Citizen's Bank Park.

After getting off to a strong start, it appeared the Fish would once again contend with the Phillies and Braves into dog days of summer. But the Marlins appear to be fading into the background earlier than usual; they're 1-11 in June, trailing the Phillies by 7.5 games and are just a half game ahead of the fourth place Mets.

The Phillies, meanwhile, have the best record in baseball at 40-26, despite all their offensive woes throughout the season.

This series is a tale of two clubs moving in opposite directions, and the Phillies have a chance to bury the Fish for the 2011 season. A sweep would push them 11.5 games back.

The Marlins do expect Hanley Ramirez back for this season, and they plan to bat him lead-off to replace a struggling Chris Coghlan at the top of the lineup. Coghlan is hitting just .235 with a .300 OBP. But Hanley is having a terrible year himself, batting only .210 with four home runs and a .306 OBP. It's do or die time for the Marlins mid-way through June.

Here's a look at the pitching probables:

Tonight: Chris Volstad (2-6 5.51) vs. Cole Hamels (8-2 2.58)
Despite tossing five no hit innings against the Braves in his last start, Volstad ended up dropping his fifth straight decision. He's struggled through most of the season for the Marlins. He's 2-4 with a 4.45 ERA in his career against the Phils.

Hamels has been one of the best and most consistent pitchers in baseball all year. In his last outing, he struck out nine Dodgers over eight scoreless frames. He faced Florida once this season, getting a no decision back on April 17. He pitched seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits, two walks and seven strikeouts.

Wednesday Game 1: TBD vs. Kyle Kendrick (3-4 3.47)
Kendrick has been adequate filling in as the fifth starter. He pitched three scoreless innings against the Cubs in his last night before a rain delay swept him from the game. He's pitched one scoreless inning in relief against the Marlins this season.

Wednesday Game 2: Anibal Sanchez (6-1 3.06) vs. Roy Halladay (9-3 2.39)
Sanchez has been Florida's best starter with Josh Johnson on the shelf. The Marlins have won eight of his 13 starts, including six of the last seven. He faced the Phillies on April 17 against Hamels, also getting a no decision. He pitched six innings, surrendering two runs on six hits, four walks and eight strikeouts.

Halladay has been, once again, one of the best if not the best pitcher in the National League. He's won his last three starts and is coming off a nine strikeout, seven inning shutout. He's only faced Florida once this season, on May 10 against Josh Johnson and he was the tough luck loser. He outpitched Johnson in the game but the Phillies' offense continued to let Johnson off the hook. Halladay pitched eight innings, allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts.

Thursday: Javier Vazquez (3-6 7.09) vs. Cliff Lee (6-5 3.41)
Vazquez's Florida debut has not been a successful one thus far. He's struggled all season and it's been no different as of late. He's 0-2 in his last two starts, lasting a total of just 7.2 innings, allowing 13 earned runs. He's 0-1 in two starts against the Phillies this year. The Phils beat him up on May 9, when he lasted just 4.1 innings, serving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits, one walk and no strikeouts. Back on April 15, he pitched five innings and allowed three runs in a no decision.

Lee has been terrific in June, after a first two unspectacular months of the season. He's 2-0 with a 0.60 ERA with 17 strikeouts and three walks. He faced Florida once this season, picking up a no decision on May 11, allowing three runs on seven hits, no walks and four strikeouts over six innings.

I expect the Phillies to take three of four from the Marlins, which would push Florida 9.5 games behind the Phils.

Howard delivers as Phils take series

2011-06-13T15:35:00.000-04:00

The Phillies came up with a solid 4-3, come from behind victory in yesterday afternoon's series finale against the Cubs.

The Phils took three out of four from Chicago, and sport a Major League best record of 40-26.

Roy Oswalt got off to a rocky start in the first, allowing an RBI double to Starlin Castro before serving up a two-run shot to Aramis Ramirez.

The Phillies were in a 3-0 hole before even stepping into the batter's box for the first time, but they began chipping away at Cubs' starter Doug Davis instantly.

With two men aboard and one out in the first, Ryan Howard came through with a great at bat, eventually hitting a hanging breaking ball to center for an RBI double. It looked like the Phils were going to explode, when Ben Fracisco followed with a walk to load the bases.

But Raul Ibanez looked off balance at the plate, striking out on a cutter inside. But with the score 3-1 and Ibanez at the plate in the third in the exact same situation, he delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to 3-2.

In the seventh, for the second straight day, the Phils got to Sean Marshall. After hitting Victorino to lead-off the inning, Chase Utley lined a double to right and the Phils were in business.

Howard came through again, bouncing a slider up the middle and into center field for a two-run go ahead and eventual game winning hit.

The Big Piece was 3-for-3 with three RBI, a double and a walk.

Oswalt picked up his fourth win of the year, tossing seven strong innings. After allowing three runs on four hits in the first inning, he allowed just one hit over his final six frames. He walked two and struck out five.

Michael Stutes picked up his fourth hold of the season and Ryan Madson collected his fifteen save.

After the off-day today, the Phils will play host to the struggling Florida Marlins for a four game set. The Fish are 1-9 in their last ten games.

Phils new lineup producing

2011-06-12T13:42:00.000-04:00

Charlie Manuel may be on to something. After the Phillies blew the first game to the Cubs, on Ryan Madson's first blown save of the year, Charlie changed the lineup.

Shane Victorino moved up to the two-hole, where he hit often during the Phillies' World Series runs of 2008 and 2009.

Placido Polanco, a prototypical two slot batter was dropped into the five spot ahead of Raul Ibanez and Domonic Brown.

Normally, Polly should not be batting fifth. He's not a power hitter, even though he did hit a grand slam (his 100th career homer) in his first game in the five slot. He's much better suited to bat second and get runners in scoring position for the meat of the order.

But for that to happen, Jimmy Rollins needs to get on ahead of him, and the three-four-five hitters need to produce. None of those things were happening.

So Polanco, the team's most consistent hitter, moves into the five slot which has been a spot of frustration for this club all season.

It's not the most ideal lineup for the Phils, but it puts a batter behind Chase Utley and Ryan Howard that is going to put the ball in play and more often than not, produce.

It's worked out so far. The Phils are 2-0 with that lineup with seven runs scored in each game, matching their highest run total of the month when they scored seven against Pittsburgh on June 5.

Roy Oswalt and the Phils look for the series victory today, but Manuel will have to rework the lineup as Polanco gets the day off.

Hamels strikeouts nine in 2-0 win

2011-06-09T15:36:00.000-04:00

Cole Hamels continued his dominant season last night, out-dueling Hiroki Kuroda for a 2-0 victory and the series win.

Hamels improved to 8-2 on the season with a 2.58 ERA and has been arguably the most consistent Phillies' starter.

He tossed eight shutout innings, striking out nine and allowing six hits and no walks.

Ryan Howard ended the Phils' homerless streak with a solo shot in the sixth, his thirteenth of the season, and Domonic Brown tacked on an RBI in the seventh.

Ryan Madson shut the door, picking up his 14th save of the season in the process.

The offense continues to sputter, and it appears this is what we're in store for throughout the season. Sure, they are most likely good enough to take the division, but a repeat performance of last year's postseason is a legitimate concern. They may have a hard time competing against some of the top NL teams, let alone a squad as loaded as the Boston Red Sox.

The lineup may get a boost tonight as Charlie Manuel indicated that Jimmy Rollins may be back at the top for the series opener against the Cubs. Here's a look at the probables:

Tonight: Randy Wells (1-1 5.74) vs. Kyle Kendrick (3-4 3.78)

Friday: Carlos Zambrano (5-2 3.98) vs. Roy Halladay (8-3 2.56)

Saturday: Matt Garza (2-5 4.07) vs. Cliff Lee (5-5 3.62)

Sunday: Doug Davis (0-5 6.38) vs. Roy Oswalt (3-4 3.05)

Lee's 10 K's lead the way

2011-06-07T16:41:00.000-04:00

Well, it was certainly nice of Cliff Lee to show up last night. Lee dominated the Dodgers to hand the Phillies a 3-1 victory in the series opener. He pitched seven strong, fanning ten, allowing seven hits and one walk. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh after firing 117 pitches.

After allowing ten runs over his last two starts, Lee bounced back in a big way with his third zero run outing of the season. It's the sixth time he struck out double digit batters in 2011.

Lee leads in the National League with 100 strikeouts, just ahead of Roy Halladay (97), Clayton Kershaw (96), Tim Lincecum (93) and Cole Hamels (82).

There wasn't much offense to speak of but three runs were plenty with Lee on the hill. They scored two runs in the third and one in the eighth, with one RBI from Ryan Howard, Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz.

Roy Oswalt looks to keep the dominant pitching trend rolling tonight to hand the Phillies their first series victory since facing the Mets May 27-29.

Phils snap skid behind Doc

2011-06-06T09:06:00.000-04:00

The Phillies snapped their four-game losing streak with a 7-3 victory in the series finale against Pittsburgh.

Once again, the Phillies struggled at PNC Park, dropping two of three after losing two of three in Washington.

Roy Halladay picked up his eighth win, tossing seven solid innings, allowing two runs on six hits, one walks and six strikeouts. Both runs came on Neil Walker's eighth homer of the year, a two-run shot in the first inning.

It was a rather strange game and things appeared to be, yet again, going against the Phils in the fourth.

After Chase Utley and Ryan Howard led-off the inning with walks and advanced on a passed ball, Raul Ibanez got the Phils on the board with a sacrifice fly, which also moved Howard to third. Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch, putting runners at the corners with one out. Domonic Brown followed with a scorching line drive up the middle and into center field, as Howard trotted home to tie the game.

The only problem: the second base umpire couldn't get out of the way and it was ruled a dead ball. Even though it was clearly going into center field, the play is automatically ruled a dead ball, Brown is awarded first and Ruiz is awarded second, but Howard has to stay at third. Wilson Valdez followed with an inning ending double-play.

This is something MLB should take a look at. In fairness to the game, that play should be at the umpire's discretion. Howard clearly would have scored, and should have been able to go home from third. If there was any question, that's a different story. But on a play like that, where the ball has already split the infielders, it's obvious that Howard would have no trouble scoring.

It's different if Howard were on second. They can't determine if the ball hadn't deflected if the outfielder would have gotten to it more quickly (which he most likely would), and been able to throw a runner out trying to score from second. They also can't determine if Ruiz would have been able to go from first to third. But on a simple play like a runner scoring from third, that's a terrible rule to call it a dead ball.

Fortunately, the bad luck didn't hurt the Phillies. They took the lead in the fifth, without recording a hit; thanks to three walks to start the inning, a Howard sac fly and Ruiz being hit by another pitch to score a second run.

The Phils had a 3-2 lead and never looked back, tacking on another run in the sixth, one in the eighth and two in the ninth.

Ryan Madson worked a scoreless frame in the ninth, pitching for the first time in nearly a week. He wasn't as sharp as usual, but he allowed just one hit and struck out two.

The Phillies' long road trip is over, and a ten game home-stand begins tonight with the LA Dodgers in town. Here are the probables:

Tonight: Ted Lilly (4-4 4.22) vs. Cliff Lee (4-5 3.94)

Tuesday: Rubby De La Rosa (Making first Major League start- 1-0 1.80) vs. Roy Oswalt (3-3 2.70)

Wednesday: Hiroki Kuroda (5-6 3.46) vs. Cole Hamels (7-2 2.83)

Lannan beats Phils for 1st time, Nats take series

2011-06-02T14:04:00.000-04:00

A day after Cliff Lee and the Phillies were crushed 10-2 in Washington, John Lannan beat the Phils for the first time in his career in the rubber match yesterday.

In 14 previous tries, Lannan had been 0-10 with a 6.44 ERA. He pitched 5.1 innings in the 2-1 victory, allowing one unearned run, just four hits, three walks and one strikeout.

Roy Oswalt was solid as well, allowing two runs over five innings on six hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Laynce Nix hit a solo shot in the third, his ninth of the year, to give the Nats a 2-1 lead. Surprisingly, that score would hold.

Nix also made the play of the game in the field in the top of the sixth. Domonic Brown pinch-hit for Oswalt with the bases loaded and two outs. He hit a line drive toward the gap in left-center, when Nix closed a ton of ground to make a game saving, full extension diving catch, which saved at least two runs from scoring.

Fortunately for the Phils, they have an off day today and should have Shane Victorino activated for tomorrow's game against the red hot Pittsburgh Pirates.

Phils take series with 10-4 victory

2011-05-27T08:53:00.000-04:00

It wasn't easy, but the Phillies took three out of four from the Cincinnati Reds this week. It took a 19 inning affair in which Wilson Valdez pitched a scoreless inning to pick-up the victory (I was in attendance; rough day at work yesterday), and a rally on an extremely hot day yesterday after blowing a lead.

The Phils (31-19) remain just one game in front of the Florida Marlins who just keep winning. The scuffling Reds fell to third place in the Central, four games behind the front-running Cardinals.

Already leading 1-0 in the third yesterday, Raul Ibanez continued to swing a hot stick, blasting a three-shot shot to put the Phils in front 4-0. With Cliff Lee on the mound, the game seemed over. Cincinnati had just suffered that marathon loss, and were trailing Lee on an extremely hot and a getaway day. Most teams would have thrown in the towel. The Reds decided to rally.

A Paul Janish two-run single in the fourth closed the gap to two, and the red hot Jay Bruce's two-run homer in the sixth tied it.

The Phils came right back in the sixth with an answer of their own. The bottom of the lineup worked the bases loaded with no out for Lee. He stepped to the plate and smoked the first pitch he saw to deep center-field, which went for a two-run ground-rule double.

They took a 7-4 lead that inning and would eventually take the game 10-4. Lee added an RBI single in the seventh, and Chase Utley hit his first home run of the year in the eighth.

Every regular had at least one hit, and Lee ended up striking out eight over eight solid innings. Jose Contreras made his return from the DL to pitch a one-two-three ninth with one strikeout.

It's the second time this series the Phillies scored double digit runs.

Reds even series at 1

2011-05-25T09:01:00.000-04:00

Ryan Madson hit his first speed bump of the season last night. Entering last night's contest, he was sporting a 0.47 ERA with nine saves in as many opportunities. With the game knotted at three in the top of the ninth, Madson got the call.

He ended up allowed three runs on three hits and one walk, handing Cincinnati a 6-3 victory.

With one out and no one on, Drew Stubbs layed down a bunt. Madson hurried off the mound and threw the ball away, allowing Stubbs to reach second. It was ruled a single and an error on Madson, but had he let Placido Polanco, who was in a much better position to make the play, Polly might have nailed him.

With two outs, after an intentional walk to Joey Votto and a Scott Rolen single, Jay Bruce hit a bases clearing double to center, sealing the win.

Madson took his first loss of the season, rising his ERA to 1.80.

The Phillies led for the first part of the game. After Votto scored in the first on a bloop single from Scott Rolen, which Vance Worley made a terrific pitch busting him in, the Phils responded in the second.

Raul Ibanez hit an RBI double and Domonic Brown put them in front 2-1 with a sacrifice fly. Carlos Ruiz tacked on a run in the fourth with an RBI double.

The Reds rallied to tie the game in the fifth, thanks in large part to a Johnny Cueto lead-off walk.

Worley pitched pretty well but had some hard luck, Cincinnati found some holes and blooped some balls into no man's land. He ended up going five, allowing three runs on six hits, four walks and three strikeouts.

Chase Utley got his first hit of the season, going 1-for-4. He's 1-for-9 (.111) through two games.

Ruiz continued to swing a hot bat, going 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, raising his average to .256.

Roy Halladay takes the mound tonight against Travis Wood, leaving a good chance that Utley gets his first day off since his call-up, with a lefty on the mound.

Bats explode as Utley returns

2011-05-24T09:44:00.001-04:00

Last night was all about Chase Utley. And while he may have gone 0-for-5 at the dish, his presence was felt in the lineup as the bats woke from their slumber, slugging home ten runs in a 10-3 victory.

It's the first time they've posted double digit runs since a 10-3 victory over the Mets on April 29. It also ended a stretch of nine straight games of three runs scored or less. They went 3-6 over that period.

The bottom of the first last night brought quite a scene at Citizen's Bank Park. After Jimmy Rollins led-off with a single, Utley stepped to the dish in the uncustomary second hole to a standing ovation. There was a clear excitement among Phillies' fans, bringing electricity to the air. Utley got a fastball to hit and ripped it to center, but the defense had him played perfectly.

Placido Polanco finished with a two-run home run, his third home run of the season, and the Phillies never looked back.

The Phils put a seven spot in the board in the third, highlighted by a Jimmy Rollins three-run blast to right, his third of the year, putting the Phillies in front 9-0. With a dominant Cole Hamels on the mound, the game appeared to be wrapped up.

But Cincinnati answered in the fourth when Jay Bruce jacked a three-run shot of his own off the right-field foul pole.

Raul Ibanez's fifth home run of the year, this one to straight away center, got one run back for the Phils and capped the scoring for the ballgame.

Hamels went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits, two walks and four strikeouts. Michael Stutes, Antonio Bastardo and Danys Baez each pitched a solid scoreless inning in relief.

Bronson Arroyo on the other hand had by far his worst start of the season. Lasting just 2.2 innings, he allowed nine runs on ten hits, one walk and two strikeouts.

Every Phillies' starter had at least one hit, with the exception of Utley. They had six extra base hits: homers from Polanco, Rollins and Ibanez and doubles from Domonic Brown, Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz. Chooch was 3-for-3 with a walk.

Weather permitting, Vance Worley takes the mound tonight against Johnny Cueto.

Phils take two of three, set for Cincy and Utley's return

2011-05-23T16:24:00.000-04:00

Despite scoring just five runs against the Rangers over the weekend, the Phillies took two of three from Texas. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee were tremendous in 3-2 and 2-0 wins respectively. Roy Oswalt took the tough luck 2-0 loss in the finale yesterday.

The lineup will receive quite a boost tonight as Chase Utley is expected to make his season debut, and bat third in the lineup. Domonic Brown should also make his second start of the season, with an opposing right handed pitcher taking the mound.

Cole Hamels is on the mound for the Phillies tonight, facing the Reds, who are coming off a sweep at the hands of the Cleveland Indians, for the first time since he ended their 2010 season with a five-hit complete game shutout in Game 3 of the NLDS. Here's a look at the match-ups:

Tonight: Bronson Arroyo (3-4 4.11) vs. Hamels (5-2 2.92)

Tuesday: Johnny Cueto (2-1 1.45) vs. Vance Worley (2-0 1.13)
Worley gets the call with Joe Blanton heading back to the DL. The Phillies loved what they've seen from Worley, and for good reason. As a starter this year, his ERA is 0.75.

Cueto didn't make his first start of the year until May 8 against the Cubs, but what a start he's off to. Picking up wins in his first two starts against the Cubs and Cardinals without allowing an earned run, Cueto lasted just five innings in his last start against the Pirates. He only allowed three runs, but he also walked three and had thrown 94 pitches. Cueto can be a little wild, but he has great stuff and can rack up the K's.

Wednesday: Travis Wood (3-3 5.17) vs. Halladay (6-3 2.21)
Wood took a perfect game into the ninth inning in Philadelphia before losing it. He also carried a no-hitter into the sixth against the Indians in his last start, but imploded after losing the no-no. He didn't retire a hitter in that sixth frame.

Halladay finally got back into the 'W' column after losing two straight despite pitching complete games in both outings. He was dominant in a 3-2 win over Texas.

Thursday: Homer Bailey (3-1 2.08) vs. Lee (3-4 3.38)
Bailey has started just four games this season but he has been terrific. He beat Houston twice in a row and the then the Cubs, allowing one, zero and three earned runs respectively. He took the loss in his last start, allowing two runs over seven innings against Cleveland. He had retired 17 of 18 batters in the seventh when Travis Buck jacked a two-run shot off Bailey.

Lee was thrilled to get his first win since April 14 when he blanked his former team on Saturday, fanning ten in the process.

Surprisingly to me at least, the Phillies optioned Pete Orr to Triple-A to make room for Utley. While Orr is not having a tremendous year, he's more valuable than Michael Martinez. Orr has a ton of speed and Major League experience. He's hitting .230 with three doubles, three RBI, five walks, ten strikeouts and a stolen base. Martinez is batting just .194 with no extra base hits, one RBI, two walks, nine strikeouts and no steals. If they'd Martinez instead of Orr, they'd have to offer him back to his former team. At this point, he doesn't seem like he can help this club too much though.

Lee faces former squad, Brown batting second

2011-05-21T18:17:00.000-04:00

With Cliff Lee on the mound against his former team in search of his first win since April 14, Domonic Brown is in the lineup and batting second:

1. J. Rollins, SS
2. D. Brown, RF
3. P. Polanco, 3B
4. R. Howard, 1B
5. R. Ibanez, LF
6. C. Ruiz, C
7. J. Mayberry, CF
8. W. Valdez, 2B
9. C. Lee, P

After Roy Halladay pitched a strong game in defeating Texas last night, highlighted by home runs from Ben Fracisco and Raul Ibanez, the Phillies are looking to clinch the series win tonight. Colby Lewis (4-4 3.80) opposes Lee (2-4 3.83)

Vic to the DL, Brown promoted

2011-05-20T17:24:00.000-04:00

Domonic Brown was promoted to the big league club to replace ailing Shane Victorino who was placed on the 15-day disabled list.

In eleven games for Lehigh Valley, Brown was hitting .341 with two home runs and ten RBI. It's unclear if he'll be available for tonight's game against Texas.

David Herndon was also recalled, while Scott Mathieson was optioned back to Lehigh Valley.

Offense continues to sputter versus Cardinals

2011-05-18T12:06:00.000-04:00

The Phillies' anemic offense continued at Busch Stadium as the Cardinals swept the short two-game set.

The Phils scored a total of two runs, dropping the opener 3-1 and last night's game 2-1. Truth is, they should have been shutout.

John Mayberry scored the lone run in the opener, after stealing second and scoring on a Ben Francisco RBI single. The only problem was: Mayberry was out. The tag beat him but the Phils caught a break as he was called safe. It put them ahead 1-0 at the time, but Cliff Lee wasn't able to hold the Cards off the board, taking another tough luck loss.

Roy Oswalt was outstanding in his return last night, dueling against Jaime Garcia who is having a tremendous season for St. Louis. The Phils managed to tie the game in the eighth when Tyler Greene, who'd been inserted into the game as a defensive replacement, dropped an easy pop-up off the bat of Jimmy Rollins. A Michael Martinez single and Placido Polanco sac fly later, the Phils had scored their first run of the game.

Danys Baez had a terrible bottom of the ninth though, loading the bases with no one out. After forcing Matt Holliday into a fielders choice out at the plate, J.C. Romero entered and threw one pitch to Lance Berkman, which he blasted to center for a walk-off RBI single.

These offensive struggles are becoming a real concern. Hopefully reinforcements are coming soon. They hope to have Shane Victorino back off the shelf soon, while Chase Utley and Domonic Brown could be nearing a call-up.

Bats falter as Braves take the series

2011-05-16T12:04:00.000-04:00

The bats once again failed to support Roy Halladay as the Phillies fell 3-2 in yesterday's game in Atlanta, dropping two out of three to the Braves.

Tough break for the Phils who opened the series with a 5-4 victory on Friday.

Joe Blanton pitched a decent game on Saturday after allowing home runs to the first two batters he faced, but the Phillies couldn't rally to take him off the hook in a 5-3 loss.

John Mayberry accounted for the Phillies' runs yesterday, slugging a game tying two-run shot off Tim Hudson. But Dan Uggla got the best of Halladay, leading off the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot to put the Braves ahead for good.

Mayberry is certainly making a case for more playing time. He's only gotten 44 at bats this season, but he's hitting .295 with a .415 OBP and a .500 slugging percentage. He has two home runs, seven RBI, three doubles, nine walks, ten strikeouts and two stolen bases.

He may not be an everyday player, but he's been far more productive than a struggling Ben Francisco and Raul Ibanez. Toward the end of the year, we may be seeing a lot more of Mayberry and Domonic Brown occupying the corner outfield spot.

The Phils open a brief two game road series in St. Louis to take on the Cardinals tonight.

Cliff Lee (2-3 3.78) is hoping to finally get some run support tonight as he opposes Jake Westbrook (2-3 6.92)

Roy Oswalt (3-1 3.33) makes his return to the mound tomorrow against the red hot Jaime Garcia (5-0 1.89).

Phils open series against Fish with 6-4 victory

2011-05-10T09:10:00.000-04:00

The Phillies continued to hit Javier Vazquez well and moved three games ahead of the Marlins in the NL East with a 6-4 victory at Sun Life Stadium, their seventh straight in Florida's ballpark.

Joe Blanton picked up his first win of the season with an average outing which he allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out two.

After the Phillies spotted Blanton a first inning run on the strength of a Jimmy Rollins lead-off home run, his second dinger of the year, the Fish came out swinging in the first.

Gaby Sanchez continued swinging a hot bat, doubling in two in the first and erasing the Phillies' lead.

Trailing 3-1 in the third, the Phils rallied against Vazquez. Blanton singled to lead-off the inning, followed by singles from Rollins and Placido Polanco. With the bases loaded, Ryan Howard smoked a line drive basehit to right, scoring Blanton.

Ross Gload followed, coming up big against his former team. He singled through the hole into left, scoring Rollins. Polanco would also come around to score on a bizarre play.

Emilio Bonifacio airmailed the throw from left, and Vazquez didn't back the play up, forcing catcher John Buck to retrieve the ball. Polanco was about half way down the line, and couldn't decide which way he break. He finally settled on toward the plate and would have been a dead duck, but Vazquez dropped the throw from Buck, allowing Polanco to eventually cross the plate. Vazquez lasted just 4.1 innings, allowing six runs (five earned) on nine hits and one walk with no strikeouts.

The Phillies would not relinquish the lead.

They added two more in the fifth, on a Polanco sac fly and a Gload RBI single.

Vance Worley pitched three solid innings in relief, but served up a solo shot to Sanchez as one of two hits allowed.

Ryan Madson closed the door for his fourth save of the year.

Tonight's pitching match-up will draw plenty of buzz from MLB as Roy Halladay opposes Josh Johnson. Halladay pitched a perfect game in Florida last season in a 1-0 victory against Johnson. JJ turned the tables on Halladay last year though, also handing him a 1-0 defeat; the only game Halladay has lost against the NL East in his time with the Phillies.

Hamels takes tough luck loss as Phils drop series, Fish next in battle for 1st

2011-05-09T12:58:00.000-04:00

First place is up for grabs as the Phillies open a series in Florida against the second place Marlins. The Fish are two games behind the Phils for the top spot in the NL East, a day after Florida beat Washington 8-0 to salvage a game in their weekend set, and the Phils dropped last night's game to Atlanta 5-2.

The Phillies had plenty of chance, bringing the tying run to the plate in the eight and ninth innings but failing to come up with a clutch hit. Cole Hamels pitched well in defeat, allowing three runs over seven innings on five hits, one walk and a season high nine strikeouts. He surrendered two long balls which became his undoing.

It's the second time this series a Phillies' starter struck out a season high and took the loss. Cliff Lee fanned 16 Braves in a 5-0 defeat on Friday, which set the mark for most strikeouts in MLB thus far in 2011.

The Phillies are 1-1 against the Marlins this year, splitting a home series which was shorted by a rain-out. Here's a look at the match-ups:

Tonight: Joe Blanton (0-1 5.92) vs. Javier Vazquez (2-2 6.39)

Two struggling starters take the hill tonight, with Blanton making his first start back from the disabled list. He pitched seven solid innings in his last outing in San Diego on April 23, allowing two runs on eight hits. He's lowered his ERA each time he's taken the hill this year, except for his first start of course.

Vazquez blew a four run lead against St. Louis his last time out, allowing six runs (four earned) in 5.2 innings. He got a no decision against the Phillies on April 15, allowing three earned runs over five innings, walking four and striking out just one.

Tuesday: Roy Halladay (5-1 2.19) vs. Josh Johnson (3-1 1.68)

Two of the best pitchers in baseball take the hill in this marquee match-up. Halladay pitched very well against Florida last season, and he returns to the mound in which he threw a perfect game at the Fish last May. Doc allowed two runs or less in each of his last three starts, picking up a win in each outing. He's allowed two runs or less in all of his starts except for his one poor outing against Milwaukee on April 19.

Johnson leads the league in ERA and in the NL pitcher of the month for April. He's coming off his worst start of the year, in which he allowed five runs over 7.1 innings against the Cardinals, for his only loss of the season. He exited the game in a 3-3 tie, but Lance Berkman hit a first pitch, three-run home run and JJ's was responsible for the two men his left on base. Before that, he'd allowed two runs or less in all of his starts, and aside from Opening Day, had allowed one run or less, a stretch of five straight games.

Wednesday: Cliff Lee (2-3 3.69) vs. Ricky Nolasco (3-0 3-23)

Lee is coming off that 16 strikeout performance against the Braves on Friday, and has struck out batters in the double digits in four of his seven starts this season. Lee hasn't gotten a ton of run support this season, coming off a 5-0 loss on Friday and a no decision in his previous start which he allowed just one run over seven innings. He's searching for his first win since April 14, a complete game shutout victory over the Nationals. His only victories this year have been over the lowly Nats and Houston Astros.

Nolasco is coming off a season high 11 K performance against Washington over seven innings in a no decision; he allowed two runs. He's pitched a quality start in all but one start this season, when he allowed five earned over five innings against the Braves on April 14 in a no decision.

This should be an interesting series, with fairly even pitching match-ups. Florida would need to sweep the Phils to come out in first place.

Phils sweep the Nats, look ahead to Braves

2011-05-06T13:01:00.000-04:00

The Phillies swept their third series of the season, taking down the Washington Nationals behind dominant pitching and a potential slump busting three games from Raul Ibanez. They improved to a National League best 21-9, and moved two games ahead of the Florida Marlins in the East.

Cole Hamels was dominant in a 4-1 complete game victory on Tuesday, possessing excellent control of his fastball and cutter.

Vance Worley pitched another great game on Wednesday, allowing just one run over six innings in a 7-4 win.

Roy Halladay finished off the Nationals last night 7-3, improving to ten straight wins over the Nats which John Lannon dropped his tenth straight game to the Phils.

Ibanez entered the series batting .154, marred in a 0-for-34 slump. After extending his streak to 0-for-35, Ibanez broke out in a big way. He finished the series 8-for-11 with two (longggg) home runs, three doubles and four RBI. He's now batting .222. Ibanez still has a long way to go overall, but that's quite a turnaround in just three days.

Roy Oswalt is back with the team and hopes to start on Saturday against the Braves, while Joe Blanton could return for Monday's opener against the Marlins. The way Worley has pitched, no one is holding their breath for Blanton's return.

Chase Utley is also expected to start extended spring training today down in Florida; obviously excellent news.

The Phils are set for a weekend match-up with the 18-15 Atlanta Braves at Citizen's Bank Park. The Braves are 4.5 games behind the Phils. Here's a look at the probables:

Friday: Derek Lowe (2-3 3.72) vs Cliff Lee (2-2 3.66)
Lee is coming off a strong start against the Mets, but his worst start of the season came against the Braves at Turner Field. He lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing six runs on ten hits. He'll look for better results tonight.
The Phillies beat Lowe in their only match-up this season, but Lowe pitched seven strong innings, allowing just two runs on seven hits with no walks.

Saturday: Jair Jurrjens (3-0 1.52) vs Oswalt (3-1 3.33)
Oswalt was off to a dominant 3-0 start with a 1.88 ERA until Arizona got to him in his last start for five runs in just three innings. This came the day before Oswalt left the team to be with his family. He was excellent in his one outing against Atlanta earlier, picking up the win, allowing one run over six innings on five hits, two walks and two strikeouts.
Jurrjens, as the numbers would indicate, is off to a fantastic start. He's allowed two runs or less in all of his starts this season. He's yet to face the Phils in 2011.

Sunday: TBD vs Cole Hamels (4-1 2.66)
Hamels has been terrific since his season opening debacle, and is coming off his first complete game of the season. He picked up his first win of the season against Atlanta, tossing seven shutout innings at the Braves, allowing just four hits and one walk with eight strikeouts.

Rollins back at the top

2011-05-03T17:18:00.000-04:00

Jimmy Rollins is back where he's spent most of his career. Leading off.
When the Phils host the Nationals and Jayson Werth for the first time tonight, Rollins will be back at the top of the lineup.

Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco each slide down a spot, into the two and three holes respectively.

Polanco has easily been the Phillies' best hitter this season, and the three spot is typically where teams pencil in their most consistent bat. However, Polanco doesn't hit for much power, which a three hitter typically possesses. The move could also remove him from his comfort zone; he's long been one of the best and most effective two hitters in the league, if not the best.

Still, it's nice to see Charlie Manuel shaking up a struggling lineup in an attempt to find the right fit. Cole Hamels takes the mound and will face Werth for the first time in his career.

Kennedy blanks Phils, spoils Lee's 12 K's

2011-04-26T10:01:00.000-04:00

The bats remained quiet last night as the Phils dropped the opener in Arizona, 4-0.

Arizona starter Ian Kennedy improved to 3-1 with a three-hit, complete game shutout. He struck out ten and didn't walk a batter. It was Kennedy's first career complete game. He's 13-15 with a 4.29 ERA during this career. Not exactly the type of pitcher the Phillies want to dominate them.

Cliff Lee was impressive in defeat, allowing four runs on five hits over seven innings, with twelve strikeouts. He made few mistakes, but when he did, the D-Backs pounced. Chris Young hit a two-run bomb in the third to straight away center on a fastball right down the middle. Geraldo Parra hit a solo shot in the fifth, just barely clearing the left field fence for his first dinger of the year.

Kennedy was on cruise control all night, only having to pitch out of trouble when Placido Polanco doubled with one out in the first. Polanco had two of the Phillies' three hits, while Jimmy Rollins collected the other on an infield single.

Polanco has been the only consistent contributor in the Phils' lineup, as his .372 average would indicate. Many of the regulars are struggling, including Rollins (.256), Ben Francisco (.253), Raul Ibanez (.179), Carlos Ruiz (.230) and Wilson Valdez (.254)

Roy Oswalt (3-0 1.88) will look to build upon his strong start tonight, opposing a struggling Daniel Hudson (0-4 5.92) whom the Phillies will look to get back on track against.

Halladay fans 14 to secure sweep

2011-04-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

The Phillies continued to own the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park this weekend, as they completed a four-game sweep yesterday with another brilliant performance from Doc.

Roy Halladay struck out a career high 14 batters in 8.2 innings, improving to 3-1. He was clinging to a 3-0 lead in the ninth, but was pulled after allowing a run. Antonio Bastardo needed just one pitch to pick up his first save of the year.

Shane Victorino hit an inside the park home run in the ballgame, on a weird play as the ball bounced out of the glove of a diving Will Venable and shot past Cameron Maybin into unoccupied territory in center field.

The Phillies offense is still struggling, but the team received excellent pitching in San Diego. Roy Oswalt kicked off the series with a 2-0 victory, and Cole Hamels followed with a 3-0 win on Friday. Joe Blanton was solid in a 4-2 extra inning victory on Saturday in which Ryan Howard picked up the game winning hit after he'd struck out in every prior at bat.

The Phils have not scored more than four runs in 13 consecutive games.

Jose Contreras hit the 15 day DL with a strained right flexor pronator tendon, which is located in the elbow. Ryan Madson will close in his absence but Bastardo could also get the call again.

Phils summon long ball to rally

2011-04-21T10:23:00.001-04:00

The Phillies appeared to be going quietly yesterday, trailing 3-0 entering the sixth with only one hit.

Cliff Lee didn't have his best stuff yesterday, much like Roy Halladay didn't the night before, but Lee battled and kept the Phillies in the game. In six innings, Lee allowed three runs, two earned, on eight hits, one walk and one home run. He struck out only one.

But the Phillies started a potential rally in the sixth and capped it with something that's long eluded this club, the three run homer.

Wilson Valdez worked a lead-off walk. With one-out and a 3-2 count to Shane Victorino, Charlie Manuel sent Valdez. Rickie Weeks ran to cover second, and Victorino hit a little spinner that bled through the infield and into right for a base hit. Vic blasted a solo shot that cleared the right-center field stands and entered the Phillies' bullpen, narrowly missing the catcher's head while he warmed Jose Contreras up.

Contreras shut the door in the ninth, allowing a hit and striking out two to seal the win and a much needed victory to avoid a sweep.

The Phils are on the west coast to face the San Diego Padres for a four game set. Roy Oswalt (2-0 2.50) will make the start after leaving his last game with discomfort in his back. He'll be opposed by Mat Latos (0-2 5.84).

Then, Mr. Clutch, Placido Polanco ripped a three-run bomb to left to tie the score and take Lee off the hook.

Kyle Kendrick and Ryan Madson each pitched a scoreless inning before Victorino led-off the eighth and hit the opposite of his bleeder in the sixth. Vic blasted a solo shot over the right-center field fence and into the Phillies' bullpen, narrowly missing the head of the catcher warming up Jose Contreras.

Contreras shut the door in the ninth, allowing one hit and striking out two to seal the win and a much needed victory to avoid the sweep.

The Phils are on the west coast for the four game set with the San Diego Padres. Roy Oswalt (2-0 2.50) will start tonight after leaving his last game with discomfort in his back. He'll be opposed by Mat Latos (0-2 5.84).

Wolf outduels Halladay 9-0

2011-04-20T09:16:00.000-04:00

The Brewers handed the Phillies their first series loss last night in an ugly 9-0 blowout.

Former Phil Randy Wolf silenced a Phillies lineup that has been scuffling of late, while Roy Halladay struggled for the first time this season.

Halladay uncharacteristically struggled with his command all night, throwing 73 strikes on 112 pitches. He only walked two, but worked into deep counts during his 6.2 innings. Halladay surrendered six runs on ten hits. David Herndon relieved Halladay in the sixth and immediately allowed a three-run bomb to Casey McGehee.

Meanwhile, the Phillies managed just two hits against Wolf, who struck out five and walked three in his six strong innings. Wolf managed to pitch a great game despite the lack of the Wolf Pack supporting him from the right field upper deck.

The Phillies will look to salvage a game in the series with Cliff Lee on the hill this afternoon and avoid their first sweep of the season.

3-2 Victory gives Phils split with Fish

2011-04-18T09:36:00.000-04:00

The Phillies earned their division leading tenth victory of the season on Sunday, behind another strong outing from Cole Hamels and a clutch at bat from Chooch.

Hamels got the tough luck no decision, pitching a very strong game but falling on some bad luck in the sixth when he allowed two runs on a few bleeders off the end of the Marlins' bats.

The Phillies looked like they were going to score plenty of runs against Marlins starter Anibal Sanchez after getting to him for two runs in the first. Placido Polanco hit his first home run of the year, and Raul Ibanez came up with a clutch, two-out single to drive in Jimmy Rollins from third. Rollins had executed a well timed delayed steal, and advance to third on an error as the ball sailed into center field. After Ryan Howard walked, Ben Francisco popped up with runners at the corners and one out, putting the Phils at risk to waste a prime opportunity. But for the second straight game, Rauuuul came through with a man in scoring position and two outs.

Hamels was cruising with the 2-0 lead, as the Phillies struggled to get any more rallies started against Sanchez, getting themselves out on some bad pitches early in the count. After seven strong innings, Hamels exited the game deadlocked in a 2-2 tie.

Carlos Ruiz got a chance to put the Phils in front in the bottom of the eighth and he did just that, working the count and driving a breaking ball to center field for a sacrifice fly, scoring Howard from third to give them a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.

Jose Contreras did not have his best stuff, but with runners at second and third and two outs in the ninth, he induced a game ending ground-out from Omar Infante to seal the victory.

The Marlins entered the game one game behind the Phils; so the win allowed the Phillies to maintain their division lead.

The Phillies have the second most wins in the National League, behind only Colorado (12-3).

They've yet to lose a series this season, after splitting the Marlins series due to the rain out on Saturday.

The Phillies open a set with Milwaukee tonight, with Joe Blanton (0-1 10.45) on the hill against Shaun Marcum (2-1 2.55).

Round One to Werth

2011-04-13T15:36:00.000-04:00

Jayson Werth got the best of his old teammates last night as the Washington Nationals handed the Phillies their third loss of the season, 7-4.

Werth went 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, two runs scored and a walk.

Blanton was a little better than his first start, but still struggled, allowing five runs on seven hits, one walk and one home run over six innings. He struck out four.

Livan Hernandez pitched very well, allowing just one run, a solo homer to Ryan Howard in the second, on seven hits, no walks and six strikeouts in 6.2 innings of work.

The Phillies have several wasted opportunities at the plate, most notably a John Mayberry pinch-hit strike out with one out and the bases loaded in the 7th.

Tonight, the Phillies will really look to show Werth that he made a mistake in leaving when he has to face Roy Halladay.

Series Preview vs. Nats

2011-04-12T15:08:00.000-04:00

Phillies fans have had this date on the calendar circled for months. So has Jayson Werth.

The Phillies will visit the Washington Nationals tonight and get their first look at Werth in a Nats' jersey. There are sure to be tons of Phillies fans invading the stadium; and he's likely to get mostly cheers from fans of both teams.

Werth is off to a slow start this season, hitting just .200 with one homer, one RBI, three doubles, seven walks and seven strikeouts. He's certain to have extra incentive at the plate these next few days. Here's a look at the match-ups:

Tonight- Joe Blanton (0-0 14.54 ERA) vs Livan Hernandez (0-1 4.76 ERA)
Blanton was cruising in his first start of the season against the Mets last Wednesday with a 7-0 lead in the fifth. The wheels quickly fell off the track as Blanton failed to make it through the fifth, allowing seven runs on ten hits, two walks and one home run in 4.1 innings. Big Joe is typically a slower starter, but needs a big bounce back start tonight.

Hernandez was on the mound for Washington on Opening Day in a loss to Atlanta. He pitched 6.1 innings, allowing two runs on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks. He was the tough luck loser in that game. In his other start against the Marlins on the sixth, he lasted five innings, surrendering four runs on six hits and five walks with one strikeout. Hernandez was fortunate to receive a no decision and is also looking to rebound tonight.

Wednesday- Roy Halladay (1-0 0.69) vs. John Lannan (1-0 3.60)

Halladay picked up right where he left off during his Cy Young award winning season in 2010. He cruised through seven scoreless innings in an 11-0 victory over the Mets in his last start. He's allowed just one run through 13 innings.

Lannan has seen plenty of the Phillies during his young career, and that's been a good thing for the Fightins'. Lannan is 0-8 in his career against Philadelphia with a 6.09 ERA. Lannan has been decent so far in 2011. He beat the Braves on the 2nd, allowing one run and five hits in five innings pitched. He also lasted just five innings against the Marlins, allowing three runs on seven hits in a no decision. He's aiming to beat the Phils for the first time in his career.

Thursday- Cliff Lee (1-1 7.84) vs. Jordan Zimmerman (1-1 3.18)

Lee delighted Phillies fans in his second debut with the Phils, striking out eleven Astros over seven strong innings. He allowed three runs on four hits, with no walks. His last start against the Braves was terrible; he lasted just 3.1 innings, allowing six runs on ten hits, one walk and three strikeouts. Lee will be the second Phillies' pitcher in this series seeking redemption.

Zimmerman has pitched well for the Nats this season. He took the loss on April 3rd against the Braves, giving up just three runs (two earned) on four hits through six strong innings. He beat the Mets on the 8th, allowing two runs on six hits through 5.1 innings.

The Phillies will look to continue an important trend they've started early in 2011: winning the series. They have two series victories over division opponents, and a sweep against one of the cellar dwellers in the National League. Another inner-division road series victory would be a nice way to return home to face the Marlins this weekend.

Hamels dominates Braves for series victory

2011-04-11T12:24:00.000-04:00

The Phillies are off to a great start, and stand at 7-2 after taking the series from the Braves in Atlanta.

Cole Hamels was dominant in yesterday's affair against Derek Lowe. After a rough outing, or really a rough inning, against the Mets in his first start, Hamels got the bounce back he needed.

Just like last year, Hamels was pitching in a close, low scoring tilt in which his offense was struggling to support him. He didn't need much though.

The run the Phils scratched across the plate in the fourth was plenty for Hamels, who cruised through seven shutout innings. He allowed four hits and one walk while fanning eight. Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras slammed the door on the Braves in a 3-0 victory.

Shane Victorino hit his first home run of the year in the sixth, a solo blast on a rare pitch left up from Lowe.

The Phillies got to Braves' closer Craig Kimbrel for a run in the ninth. Jimmy Rollins led off with a double and advanced to third on a fielding error by Jason Heyward. Ryan Howard's ground-out drove Rollins home.

After Cliff Lee got touched up a bit, taking the loss in the opener, the Phils' bats supported Roy Oswalt on Saturday. The 10-2 victory was highlighted by Carlos Ruiz's pinch hit grand slam. Brian Schneider also went deep for the first time this season in the win.

The Phillies are doing exactly what good teams need to do. They've won each series against a division rival, and swept a bad team. They stand two games ahead of Florida in the standings.

Through nine games, the Phillies are third in MLB in runs with 59, trailing Cincinnati and the Chicago White Sox. They lead MLB in hits (107) and average (.334). They're second in OPS (.865) and OBP (.380).

The Phils will get their first look at Jayson Werth in a Nationals uniform tomorrow in Washington.

Phils, Doc cruise to 11-0 victory over NY, ATL next

2011-04-08T09:13:00.000-04:00

The Phillies are off to a tremendous start, wrapping up the opening homestand 5-1 with a 11-0 victory over the Mets yesterday.

To the surprise of many, it's the Phillies' bats that have done most of the talking this season. After dropping the opener on a dreary night on Tuesday, the Phillies jumped on Mets' starter Mike Pelfrey on Wednesday, taking an early 7-0 lead. But Joe Blanton really struggled in the fifth, allowing New York to come back and tie the game.

But like good teams do, the Phillies jumped right back on the board in the fifth and sixth innings, taking and securing a wild 10-7 victory.

With Roy Halladay on the mound for the rubber match yesterday, the Phillies gave him plenty of run support. After taking a 6-0 lead in the fourth, everyone got the sense that with Doc on the mound, six runs would be plenty. They were, but just for good measure, the Phillies rocked Mets' pitching for eleven runs. Raul Ibanez hit the game's only homer, his first of the year in the seventh inning. Placido Polanco drove in four runs, and Wilson Valdez knocked in three.

Meanwhile, Ryan Howard is off to quite possibly the best start of his career. He's among the league leaders in just about every offensive category with his .480 average, two home runs, eight RBI, three doubles, .500 OBP and .840 slugging percentage.

He's not the only bat off to a tremendous start. Ben Francisco is hitting .320 with two homers, Polanco is hitting .440, Jimmy Rollins is hitting .375 with two stolen bases, Ibanez is hitting .304, Valdez is hitting .429 and some backups like John Mayberry and Pete Orr are batting .600.

The Phils are set to open a big series with the Atlanta Braves, who just lost three out of four in Milwaukee after starting the season 3-1.

Cliff Lee gets the call tonight against Tim Hudson in Atlanta's home opener. Roy Oswalt will oppose Brandon Beachy tomorrow and Cole Hamels will look to get back on track against Derek Lowe in the finale.

Hamels struggles in first loss of season

2011-04-06T09:00:00.000-04:00

On a frigid, windy night in Philadelphia, Cole Hamels became the first ace to falter.

Taking on the hated New York Mets, Hamels didn't make it out of the third inning; allowing six runs on seven hits, two walks and three strikeouts in a 7-1 loss.

Hamels got into a jam in the first inning, but worked out of it impressively and appeared to be back on track. Jose Reyes led off with a hit, and Hamels hit Angel Pagan with a pitch. After a double steal, New York had runners at second and third with no outs. Hamels then struck out David Wright, forced Carlos Beltran to pop out to second, and struck out Scott Hairston to end the inning and strand the runners in scoring position.

After a one-two-three top of the second, Hamels entered the third in a scoreless tie. The Mets put six on the board without an extra base hit. Opposing pitcher Chris Young led off the inning with a single, and later hit an RBI single in the same inning. Young's second hit ended Hamels' night.

It's hard to put much stock in this game. Yes, everyone wanted to see Hamels come out strong after an inconsistent spring; but the weather conditions at Citizen's Bank Park were brutal. It was freezing and extremely windy. At least fifty or sixty fans were crammed into the elevator lobby in the upper level at any particular time, looking for relief. The longest concession line: hot chocolate.

Last night was not baseball weather and hopefully it was just a fluke of a game. But while the Mets produced seven runs on thirteen hits, the Phillies struggled at the plate as well.

Shane Victorino was 0-for-5 with three strikeouts at the top of the order. Placido Polanco drove in the Phillies' only run on an RBI double in the sixth.

Joe Blanton takes the ball for the first time this season tonight, opposing Mets' Opening Day starter Mike Pelfrey. Pelfrey allowed five runs in just 4.1 innings against the Marlins.

How Sweep It Is

2011-04-04T14:54:00.000-04:00

What a great way to start!

The Phillies are 3-0 after sweeping the Houston Astros at Citizen's Bank Park this weekend. The pitching was excellent as expected, and the bats have been hot since the 7th inning of the first game.

Cliff Lee picked up the first win for a starter this season while exhilarating the fans during his seven inning, eleven strikeout performance. He allowed three runs.

Roy Halladay allowed just one run over his six strong innings in the opener, and was taken off the hook for the loss by the dramatic ninth inning comeback.

Roy Oswalt faced his former team for the first time yesterday, allowing just two runs over six solid innings. The starters combined for 23 strikeouts and just one walk.

Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard are encouragingly off to outstanding starts. Rollins is 6-for-12 (.500) with a stolen base and four runs scored. Howard is 7-for-13 (.538) with a homer, six RBI, one double and three runs scored.

They aren't the only ones slugging. Ben Francisco is hitting .462 with a home run and made a tremendous catch in right yesterday while crashing into the wall and dislodging the San Diego panel on the out of town scoreboard. Placido Polanco is hitting .417, and Wilson Valdez is hitting .364.

It was a great weekend in every way as the Phillies played all around good baseball. They'll enjoy a day off today before opening a set with the Mets tomorrow with Cole Hamels on the hill.

Phils win thrilling opener, Lee tonight

2011-04-02T19:05:00.000-04:00

What a way to start the season!

The offense struggled early, picking up where it left off last year. As everyone knows, the bats woke up late; capped by a ninth inning rally and a walk-off victory on John Mayberry's RBI single.

Roy Halladay and Brett Myers traded zeros early, but Doc left the game after six strong innings, trailing 1-0. Myers went seven strong, allowing just one run.

Trailing 4-0 in the seventh, the Phillies rallied for two in the bottom of the inning, and three in the ninth for the victory.

Tonight, Cliff Lee makes his second Phillies debut against Wandy Rodriguez. Charlie Manuel tweaked his lineup a bit with the southpaw on the mound for Houston:

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. Jimmy Rollins, SS
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Ben Francisco, RF
6. Raul Ibanez, LF
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. Wilson Valdez, 2B
9. Lee, P

This is a good opportunity for Francisco to show Charlie that he can protect Howard in the lineup and bat fifth in the order against lefties.

Castillo released, Phils lineup set?

2011-03-30T15:21:00.001-04:00

The Phillies released Luis Castillo. It's a bit surprising because it seemed Ruben Amaro Jr. had been happy with his play thus far. Castillo is out of the mix and the Phillies owe him nothing.

Today is Philly's final tuneup before their opener on Friday against Houston. Cole Hamels takes the mound for the second of two in the On-Deck series against Pittsburgh. Today's lineup is very likely going to be Charlie Manuel's Opening Day lineup on Friday:

1. Shane Victorino, CF
2. Placido Polanco, 3B
3. Jimmy Rollins, SS
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Raul Ibanez, LF
6. Ben Francisco, RF
7. Carlos Ruiz, C
8. Wilson Valdez, 2B

Phils set to come home

2011-03-28T08:47:00.003-04:00

Today's bout against the Houston Astros wraps up Grapefruit League play for the Phils, who will host the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizen's Bank Park for two in the On-Deck series starting tomorrow. The next time they face Houston, Roy Halladay will be the mound opposing Brett Myers on Opening Day.

With camp set to break, a few questions still remain about the roster. Here's what we know:

Catchers: Carlos Ruiz, Brian Schneider

Infield: Ryan Howard, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, Wilson Valdez

Outfield: Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Ben Francisco, Ross Gload

Pitchers: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Ryan Madson, Jose Contreras, J.C. Romero, Danys Baez, Kyle Kendrick.

That's 20 of 25. The Phillies have seven bullpen pitchers in camp right now, and they are all likely to make the team. That would add Antonio Bastardo and David Herndon to the club.

Now the team has to pick three final hitters, unless they search for another arm; but that's unlikely. I think John Mayberry makes the team. He's having a great spring, and they've used him at first base. I could see him filling in for Howard or Ibanez against a tough lefty, getting some time in right or coming off the bench late in games as a power and speed threat.

That would round out the outfield with two spots remaining for the infield. Luis Castillo hasn't played very well so far this spring, but it's a small sample size. On the bright side, he is running very well. Charlie Manuel might like having a veteran in there rather than some of his competitors. I think it remains up in the air as to whether Castillo makes the club or not. If he does, the Phils can always call up a Pete Orr or a Josh Barfield later in the season.

I also see Michael Martinez making the club. He's a Rule 5 draft pick, meaning the Phils would have to offer him back to the Nationals if he's not selected. Martinez is having a good spring, and Manuel loves his versatility and defensive prowess. If Martinez makes the team, that leaves one spot for either Castillo, Orr, Barfield or Delwyn Young. If I had to guess, I'd say they select Castillo for his experience. If he struggles and they cut him during the season, they'd only owe him about $414,000. Orr would also be an interesting choice. He has terrific speed, already hitting four triples this spring.

Oswalt ok after being struck by line drive, Castillo debuts

2011-03-23T15:45:00.000-04:00

Today was a rather negative day for the Phillies. The only good news: Roy Oswalt appears to be OK.

Oswalt was hit behind his right ear with a scorched line drive off the bat of Manny Ramirez in the bottom of the fourth inning. Oswalt fell the ground immediately but eventually got up and walked off the field under his own power. X-rays were negative and he didn't suffer any dizziness.

Luis Castillo made his spring debut, going 0-for-4 with two ground-outs, a pop up and a line out. He only made one defensive play, throwing out Ben Zobrist leading off the top of the first.

Tampa Bay won the game 4-1 behind a strong outing from James Shields who pitched seven scoreless innings, allowing four hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

Oswalt dropped to 0-2, allowing three runs on four hits while striking out four. His spring ERA is 4.61.

Castillo not in camp, scratched from lineup

2011-03-22T15:06:00.001-04:00

Luis Castillo was penciled in to bat second and play second base this afternoon against Toronto. The Phillies had a doctor ready and waiting to give Castillo a physical. The only problem: he never showed up.

Ruben Amaro Jr. called it a communication breakdown between he and Castillo's agent. Whatever the case, Castillo had a very short amount of time to impress the organization enough to win a spot on the roster. Now he has even less.

Charlie Manuel said he wasn't angry that Castillo didn't show up, but if it'd been him, he'd have been there already.

Sure, things happen, but this is a bad first impression for a man rumored as being a cancer in the New York Mets' organization. If he wanted to be in camp and play in today's game badly enough, he'd have found a way. Clearwater is less than a five hour drive from Miami and with the signing becoming official yesterday morning, Castillo had plenty of time.

He's expected to be in the lineup tomorrow when the Phillies take on Tampa Bay in a game that can be seen on MLB.TV.

Halladay, Phils beat Lester, Sox 4-1

2011-03-21T16:30:00.000-04:00

Today's hyped pitching match-up was as advertised, as the Phillies beat the Red Sox 4-1 in front of a record crowd at Brighthouse Field.

Roy Halladay pitched 7.2 innings to pick improve to 3-0 on the spring. He allowed his first run, on five hits, three walks and six strikeouts.

Jon Lester suffered his first loss of the spring, tossing 5.1 innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits, four walks and six strikeouts.

The Phillies got on the board first with an unearned run in the third without recording a hit. Boston tied the score in the top of the fifth. Halladay broke up Lester's no hitter in the bottom of the fifth by slicing a single into right-center field.

Lester pitched very well but things unraveled for him quickly in the sixth. Jimmy Rollins worked a four pitch walk with one out. Lester then fell behind Ryan Howard 3-0 before Howard laced a single to right-center. With Raul Ibanez at the plate, Rollins stole third before Ibanez singled through the hole into right, scoring Rollins. After a Ben Francisco walk loaded the bases, Josh Barfield's single drove in Howard and Ibanez, making the score 4-1. Brian Schneider followed with a single, ending Lester's day.

Scary moment for the Phillies in the fifth when Shane Victorino collided with Raul Ibanez trying to catch a fly ball and went to the ground in a hurry. After laying on the ground for a few minutes with blood visibly dripping from his face, Victorino rose before laughing and trotting off the field with a cut above his eye. It's being called a bruised left eye and sore jaw and fortunately is not serious.

Marquee match-up of Lester vs. Doc

2011-03-21T12:01:00.000-04:00

Clearwater is sure to be buzzing this afternoon as the Phillies host the Boston Red Sox in what many consider a possible World Series match-up. If that's so, today's game will feature the Game One probables.

Roy Halladay takes the mound, opposing Boston ace, Jon Lester. This tremendous pitching match-up features arguably two of the top five pitchers in baseball. Halladay's spring ERA is flawless at 0.00, while Lester is posting an impressive 2.53.

Both pitchers are very different in stature and style, but produce similar results. Halladay, a tall right-handed pitcher with excellent command and poise and a great sinker. Lester, a southpaw with average height has filthy stuff and is one of the game's best strikeout pitchers. There's likely to be plenty of zeros popping up at Brighthouse Field today.

Here are the lineups trying to break out against the dominant arms on the mound:

1. Shane Victorino (.340) - CF
2. Michael Martinez (.292) - 2B
3. Jimmy Rollins (.259) - SS
4. Ryan Howard (.289) - 1B
5. Raul Ibanez (.267) - LF
6. Ben Francisco (.333) - RF
7. Josh Barfield (.344) - 3B
8. Brian Schneider (.286) - C
9. Halladay (.000) - P

1. Jacoby Ellsbury (.421) - CF
2. Dustin Pedroia (.308) - 2B
3. David Ortiz (.263) - DH
4. Jarod Saltalamacchia (.238) - C
5. Mike Cameron (.313) - RF
6. Jed Lowrie (.200) - SS
7. Darnell McDonald (.250) - LF
8. Drew Sutton (.341) - 1B
9. Nate Spears (.295) - 3B

Castillo agrees to Minor League deal

2011-03-21T08:58:00.000-04:00

Veteran Luis Castillo agreed to a Minor League contract with the Phillies, although nothing is official. Castillo was released by the Mets on Friday after some unfavorable seasons in Queens. The Phils showed interest immediately, and Castillo agreed to the deal nearly instantly after clearing wavers.

Castillo will compete with Wilson Valdez, Josh Barfield, Pete Orr, Michael Martinez and Delwyn Young for the second base job. Many of his competitors are having tremendous springs, so it's not an easy road ahead for Castillo.

If Castillo makes the club at any time, the Phillies will owe him just $414,000 of his $6 million salary. They'll owe him even less if he never suits up for the Fightins.

It's a classic low-risk, high-reward situation for the Phillies. Castillo's had plenty of success in this league, and a change of scenery might be just what he needed.

Castillo is an NL East man. After breaking into the league in 1996 with Florida, Castillo played for the Marlins through 2005. After a brief stint with Minnesota in 2006 and part of 2007, he was traded back to the East when the Mets acquired him. Now Castillo, a career .290 hitter with 370 stolen bases and 1,889 hits will look to continue his Major League career with the Phillies in a division that's been kind to him throughout his career.