Ibanez Back; Coste to 'Stros; Werth an All Star

Well with the return of Raul Ibanez, Chris Coste got DFA'ed and picked up by the Houston Astros via Todd Zolecki's twitter:

Chris Coste claimed off waivers by Houston to make room for Ibanez.

In All Star news, Jayson Werth replaced Carlos Beltran in the NL outfield. The Phillies became the 13th team to field all three outfielders in the same All Star game. The last time it was done was the 1995 Indians who fielded Kenny Lofton, Manny Ramirez, and Albert Belle.

Werth has a .268 average with 20 homers, 54 RBI's, 59 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. It is Werth's first trip.

Manuel's Odd Lineup

Charlie Manuel did a little bit of a line up shake up but not the one I was hoping for. As I stated in my other post, I wanted to see Jimmy Rollins drop down to sixth. After Todd Zolecki posted today's line up versus Tampa Bay, I was left a bit confused. Here are his Tweets within the past hour:

Tonight's lineup in TB: Rollins SS, Victorino CF, Utley 2B, Howard 1B, Werth RF, Feliz 3B, Mayberry LF, Coste DH, Ruiz C.

Howard will DH. Coste will play 1B. Manuel changed his mind.

I like the nine hitters we put in but I still don't want Rollins, who is sporting a .261 OBP, to get things started. I am officially starting the "Lead Off Shane Campaign." I also think Manuel's choice of putting Chris Coste at first was interesting but smart. David Price is pitching tonight and as a lefty that throws some serious heat, Greg Dobbs would be more ineffective than Jamie Moyer. Coste can play the corners and catcher. Having Paul Bako also allows the Phils to use both Coste and Carlos Ruiz in the line up.

Phils Win Big Today (Recap); Lose Series

I just got home from the Phillies/Red Sox game today. What a thrilling win as I got to see the Phillies beat the Sox for the first time in three games I've gone to. The Phillies looked so lost until they exploded for four run in the fifth inning and then poured on six more in the seventh enroute to a 11-6 win to avoid being swept by the Sox.

JA Happ got the start versus Josh Beckett. He overcame a bad first three innings where he threw 85 pitches, giving up four runs on six hits and five walks. He settled down in the fourth and fifth, pitching 1-2-3 innings. He then got yanked in the sixth after allowing a solo homer to Beckett, waling Julio Lugo, and forcing Jacoby Ellsbury into a double play. He finished going 5 2/3 innings, surrendering five runs on seven hits and six walks, striking out three.

The Phillies bats were practically dead up until the fifth. Pedro Feliz and Chris Coste hit singles and Happ bunted them over. Jimmy Rollins then grounded out, scoring in Feliz. Shane Victorino hit an RBI single and Chase Utley followed that up with a single. Ryan Howard then cranked a two-run double to give the Phillies a 5-4 lead.

After Beckett tied it up with his solo homer, it came around to the seventh inning. Rollins led off with a solo homer and Victorino followed with a single. Beckett got yanked by Terry Francona but that didn't stop the bleeding. Utley walked and Howard hit into a fielder's choice that scored Victorino after a throwing error. Jayson Werth ripped a double and Feliz drove him and Howard in with a double. Four walks later, including two runs, and the Phillies were at a commanding 11-5 lead. The Sox added a run in the eighth but couldn't come back and the Phillies dominated the series finale.

Friday night: Phillies lost 5-2 in 13 innings after Kyle Kendrick's poor outing in the top of the 13th.

Saturday night: Phillies lost 11-6 after trailing 5-0 after the first inning's rain delay. They would bring the game in close but the Sox would pull away.

Series MVP:
Boston: Ellsbury (5-13; 2 runs; HR; 4 RBI's; 2 SB's)
Philadelphia: Feliz (5-12; 3 runs; double; HR; 5 RBI's)

Next Series: Toronto Blue Jays (34-31; 13-18 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (36-25; 13-16 at home)

The Blue Jays have cooled down tremendously. They have lost four straight and seven of their last 11. I can't see the Phillies losing this series at all and I expect a sweep, especially with the pitching coming up.

Probables:
6/16: Ricky Romero (3-3, 3.71), Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.62)
6/17*: TBA, Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.11 ERA)
6/18: Casey Janssen (2-3, 6.23 ERA), Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.17 ERA)
*attending

Lidge Put On 15-Day DL

Tom Singer of MLB.com reported the details of the Brad Lidge injury. Lidge was placed on the 15-day DL today with a right knee sprain. In his place, the Phillies recalled catcher Paul Bako and he is expected to dress tonight versus the Mets. Bako is batting .357, with 10 RBIs in 42 at-bats.

Lidge (0-3) has been the exact opposite of his perfect regular and post season form a year ago as he is sporting an ugly six blown saves. He has 13 saves and an ERA of 7.27 in 28 appearances.This move will likely make set-up man Ryan Madson the closer until Lidge's return.

I have to ask one quick question before I talk about the recalling of Bako: why him? I know we want to have another bat on the bench since there are only four bench players but of all people why not bring back John Mayberry Jr. or try out another hitter to take advantage of the opportunity. But maybe Bako has something to prove. Another logical reason for this is so that Chris Coste will get more pinch hit AB's and the Phillies will still have a reserve catcher in Bako.

Now I'm glad they gave Lidge a 15-day rest. He hasn't been himself at all this year. It's not known whether or not his knee really is bothering him or if he is just getting a reality check so he can get his head on straight. If the knee is the case, that's at least a bit of a relief knowing that it's a physical problem and not a mental problem. Remember, this is the same guy that got abused by Albert Pujols in the 2006 NLCS.

Whatever the reason is, good luck Lidge in getting back on track and I'm confident Madson will hold down the fort nicely.

Phillies Sweep Nationals

It was a good weekend for the Phillies as they pulled off a feat as easy as tying your shoes: sweeping the Nationals. They out pitched and out slugged them, taking advantage of their poor fielding all weekend to improve their record to 28-20. Brad Lidge saved every game, showing signs of his 2008 form.

They opened the series Friday with JA Happ on the mound. He earned his first win as a starter for the 2009 season. Happ (3-0) went 5 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on as many hits. He got plenty of help with 16 hits even though the offense could only cross the plate five runs. Shane Victorino had four hits and Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz added a pair of doubles each.

Saturday's game featured some fire works from Ryan Howard. After trailing early 3-0, Howard stepped up and belted a solo homer to the 2nd level in right field in the second. He then came up in the 3rd with the bases loaded. He jacked a shot over the "Powerade" sign on the 3rd porch 475 feet) for his 3rd grand slam of the season and 8th in his career, a new Phillies record. Cole Hamels (3-2) got the win despite giving up six runs in six innings as the Phillies won 9-6.

Jamie Moyer (4-5) finally got win #250 in his 6th try, pitching six strong innings, giving up one run on three hits as the Phillies won 4-2. He got help from Chase Utley when he drove in Victorino in the first and from Chris Coste's solo shot in the 2nd. He gave up a home run to Josh Willingham in the 4th. Willingham added another in the 7th off of Clay Condrey. Howard hit an RBI triple in the 8th for insurance.

Series MVP: Howard (4 for 13 with 2 homers, double, triple, 6 RBI's)

Next Series: @ San Diego Padres

6/1 - Blanton (3-3, 6.14), Correia (1-3, 5.11)

6/2 - Bastardo (0-0, -.--), Peavy* (5-5, 3.67)

6/3 - Happ (3-0, 3.00), Young (4-3, 4.45)

*Would love to see him in a Phillies uniform.

FIM #12: 10,000 Losses

No team has ever done it. No team will never want to reach it. Unfortunately, your beloved Phillies reached it. In 2007, the Phillies lost their 10,000th game versus the Cardinals 10-2. For 125 years, the Phillies franchise has faced nothing but agonizing defeats, last place finishes, chokes, and just pure embarrassment. This is the image of a Philadelphia team: heart break. We are a troubled sports nation and this is the perfect example of our heart break.

This is a theme that reoccurred far too many times. Let's face it. Our franchise sucks, okay, but that doesn't mean there was ever any quit in the players and especially not in the fans. Larry Bowa and Charlie Manuel brought winning seasons to Philadelphia. Manuel brought the second ever consecutive division win in 2008 and the second World Series championship in Phillies history.

This loss was like the thousands that preceded it. Bad pitching, no offense, and a whole lot of booing from the Phillies Phaithful. Albert Pujols hit 2 home runs in the game and what better pitcher for the Phillies to record the loss than Adam Eaton. It was going to be a shut out but Michael Bourn hit a solo homer in the 9th and Chase Utley hit a double that scored Chris Coste.

The best part about this moment though is that a year later, everyone in Philadelphia forgot about it. Why? Because we are World Champs. Keep your heads high Phillies fans. I'll take 10,000 losses over 100 years without a championship any day.

Phillies win first game of 2009

It was a series that absolutely blew for the first 24 1/2 innings. Then with the help of some timely hitting, patience, and a bull pen that couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, the Phillies erupted to end the series on a high note. Going into Wednesday's game, the Phillies lost their first two games to the Atlanta Braves by a combined score of 8-1 and the starting pitching surrendered all 8 runs and a total of 5 home runs, the trend continued into the first 6 1/2 innings of Wednesday afternoon.

Joe Blanton got shelled, giving up 2 homers and 7 runs total and the bull pen surrendered 3 more to give the Braves a 10-3 lead. Now I am not going to make a habit of doing game stories but the story of the bottom of the 7th must me told in the eyes of someone who was there to witness it: me.

It was the 7th inning stretch and me and brother had to leave early so we walked downstairs to watch the Phillies bat one more time. They had the heart of the order coming up so I wanted to see them take one more stab at the Braves pitching. Shane Victorino led off with a ground out. Chase Utley then singled and Ryan Howard got hit high in the shoulder by a pitch. The crowd was absolutely livid at that pitch, especially for it hit one of the hometown heros. Jayson Werth drew a walk to load the bases and this is where the fun begins:

Braves 10 - Phillies 3 - bases are loaded with 1 out for Raul Ibanez.

10-4 - Ibanez hits an RBI single to score in Utley. Bases still loaded.

10-5 - Pedro Feliz hits another RBI single to drive in Howard. Bases still loaded.

10-6 - Matt Stairs pinch hits and walks in a run. Still loaded.

10-7 - Chris Coste pinch hits and walks in a run. Still loaded.

10-8 - Jimmy Rollins walks in a run. still loaded.

10-9 - Victorino singles to score Stairs. Still loaded.

10-10 - Utley walks to score in a run. Still loaded.

10-11 - Howard grounds out but drives in Rollins. Second and third with 2 outs and then Werth flew out to right to end the inning with the Phillies on top 11-10.

Yes people. that was an 8-run inning to come back from being down 10-3. Ryan Madson, also known as "The Bridge to Lidge," pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the 8th. They added another run to go up 12-10 in the bottom half on a sacrifice fly by Eric Bruntlett. The Braves hit a solo home run off Brad Lidge to make it 12-11 in the top of the 9th. Mr. Perfect then held on to earn his first save of the year, striking out Garrett Anderson.

Pictures from the game will be posted later today.