Bruntlett Leads Players Dropped

The Eric Bruntlett era is over. The Phillies parted ways with their utility man after his two-year stay. Hated by many, I loved his passion and his role as a good team mate and classy guy. We will never forget his unassisted triple play or him sliding home on Carlos Ruiz's game-winning infield single in game 3 of the 2008 World Series. We will also never forget his .217 with a .297 on base percentage in 238 plate appearances in 2008, then hit .171 with a .238 on base percentage in 118 plate appearances this past year.

Also being dropped were relievers Todd Walker and John Ennis, catcher Paul Hoover, and infielder Andy Tracy.

So with the departure of Bruntlett, that leaves a huge whole in the utility role the Phillies hope to fill. In a perfect world, the Phillies sign either Placido Polanco, Adrian Beltre, or Chone Figgins to start at third and are able to get Mark DeRosa to fill the utility role.

And in other news: Pedro Martinez wants to pitch the whole 2010 season. I don't know if the Phillies have interest in him being the #5 starter but I wouldn't mind it. It isn't know whether or not he can go a whole season and be effective and if they can sign him for cheap then I say go for him. He'd be better than Chan Ho Park and Jamie Moyer as starters (I still want Park back in the pen),

Pitching Probables; Myers, Kendrick Off Roster

Unlike in the NLDS, we are pretty sure who the Phillies and Dodgers will throw at each other for the NLCS. Cole Hamels and Clayton Kershaw were already definates for game 1 and the Phillies are leaning for Pedro Martinez in game 2. Cliff Lee was guaranteed game 3 so he could have five days of rest. Here are the probables for games 1-4:

Thursday: Cole Hamels vs. Clayton Kershaw
Friday: Pedro Martinez vs. Vicente Padilla
Sunday: Cliff Lee vs. Hiroki Kuroda
Monday: Joe Blanton/JA Happ vs. Randy Wolf

With the match ups like this, it could set up Lee for game 7.

In other news, Kyle Kendrick and Brett Myers were left off of the roster. Eric Bruntlett and Chan Ho Park were added. Here is Todd Zolecki's tweet:

Pedro will start Game 2. Myers, Kendrick off NLCS roster. Park, Bruntlett are on. Myers is not happy about being left off, either.

New York Invasion

The Phillies and their fans invaded Queens this past weekend, including the Phillies Nation bus trip on Saturday where a fight was shown in their section by Comcast. After dropping the first game thanks to some poor pitching by Cole Hamels, the Phillies bats exploded as they handled the Mets to win three of four games during the series.

Thankfully Hamels has been the worst pitcher of the four who will make up the playoff rotation. He will pick his game back up when he's needed in the clutch. He hasn't been pressured all year due to a lack of competition in the division so I am confident he will be fine come October.

This series saw some great pitching, a lot of errors, a lot of pop from the Phillies line up, and even an unassisted triple play to end Sunday's game by Eric Bruntlett. Pedro Martinez earned a win in his home coming to New York and even tallied a hit.

Friday - Mets won 4-2: Hamels lasted five innings and got the loss as he surrendered four runs on 10 hits. He allowed a home run to Jeff Francoeur, who had a pretty good series versus the Phillies. Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard had two hits apiece for the Phillies.

Saturday - Phillies won 4-1: After Tim Redding dominated the Phillies, he was pulled due to a pitch count. Chase Utley capitalized with a two-run homer that gave the Phillies the lead for good. Brad Lidge earned his 24th save.

Sunday - Phillies won 9-7: This was one crazy game. After the Phillies jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first thanks to three homers by Jayson Werth and Carlos Ruiz, the Mets answered back. Martinez pitched six solid innings as the Mets stayed in it the whole game. In the bottom of the ninth with a 9-7 score and no outs, Francoeur hit a line drive with runners on first and second to Bruntlett who caught the ball, stepped on second, and tagged out Daniel Murphy for the game ending unassisted triple play. Lidge earned his 25th save.

Monday - Phillies won 6-2: There was no drama in this game but plenty of errors. The Phillies and Mets combined for five errors in the game. Cliff Lee pitched very well despite giving up two runs, none earned. He went seven innings and allowed six hits and struck out five.

Series MVP's:
Ryan Howard: 5-19, 4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI
Chase Utley: 5-12, 4 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Eric Bruntlett: 4-9, R, unassisted triple play

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (72-50, 40-21 on road) @ Pittsburgh Pirates (51-71, 33-28 at home)

Phillies lead series 3-0. This series is almost as predictable as the last. The Pirates will be seeing a Phillies offense that has just caught fire again. If they keep up this tear, this can be a very easy three wins as the Phillies look to expand on their seven and eight game leads on Atlanta and Florida respectively.

The Pirates offense is at a low as it is 12th in average and 13th in runs scored in the NL. The Phillies are 11th in average but climbing while they sit on top of the NL in scoring. As far as pitching, the Phillies ERA has dropped some more as they now sit sixth in the NL while the Pirates are 13th.

This should be another easy series for the Phillies as they find themselves in a race with Los Angeles for the top seed in the NL. Sports Illustrated still thinks the Dodgers are the best team in baseball and the way they Phillies are playing, they are proving them otherwise. I expect a sweep of the Pirates as the Phillies get set to come home versus Atlanta.

Pitching Probables:

Tuesday: PHI: Blanton (8-6, 3.86), PIT: Ohlendorf (11-8, 4.15)

Wednesday: PHI: Hamels (7-8, 4.78), PIT: Maholm (7-7, 4.74)

Thursday: PHI: Happ (10-2, 2.59), PIT: Morton (3-6, 5.21)

Turning Three

Eric Bruntlett's unassisted triple play was something to witness. After being robbed of a base hit in the eighth by Jeff Francoeur, Bruntlett returned the favor, snaring Francoeur's no-out line drive up the middle, stepping on second, and tagging Daniel Murphy for the unassisted triple play to win the game for the Phillies.

It has been that kind of year for the Mets as that was the third time this year they lost on the last play. The other two times were a throwing error that allowed a run to score early in the season and a dropped pop-up by Louis Castillo versus the Yankees that allowed the tying and winning run to cross the plate.

How special was Bruntlett's turn? It is just the 14th unassisted triple play in the regular season in baseball history. It is just the second unassisted triple play to end a game as the only other time happened in 1927. The last Phillie to repeat such a feat was Micky Morandini in 1992.

From Todd Zolecki's article on MLB.com:

"It's hard to know how to react to it," Bruntlett said. "I was almost laughing. That doesn't happen. What do you do there? Game is over. High fives."

Phillies Injury Update

Brett Myers had his right hip surgery and the future looks grim. Myers had arthroscopic bony spur and labral debridement and will begin his rehabbing on Saturday. This rehab will extend for about three months. This means he will be allowed to start throwing in September. The only way he plays is if the Phillies make another deep playoff push and he pitches in the bull pen. Myers was 4-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 10 starts this year. He will be a free agent in the off season.

In other news, Shane Victorino is listed as day-to-day with a left hip strain. He didn't play last night versus the Dodgers as Eric Bruntlett played right field while Jayson Werth filled the Flyin' Hawaiian's absence in center. Charlie Manuel said that he wants Victorino in the line up still for his bat but he doesn't want to have him do any running or playing the field.

From Todd Zolecki's article:

"That's why I did what I did," [Victorino] said of leaving the game in the sixth inning on Wednesday. Victorino also said he has had soreness on the right side of his lower back for much of the season. "A little sore, but nothing that I really have to worry about," he said. "I had a problem on the right side. Now all of a sudden my left side."

I know this may be a hasty idea but why not put Victorino on the 15-day DL and call John Mayberry Jr. back up to start the games Victorino is out? It would be huge experience for Mayberry as well as allow Victorino to rest up his hip and lower back.

Todd Zolecki reported both injuries.

FIM #1: Your 2008 World Champions

Sitting on the edge of my couch I watched on as Brad Lidge had a man on second with 2 outs. Up to the plate stepped Eric Hinske. The first pitch slider was fouled off. The second pitch was also a slider and was swung at. With his deadly slider working like it has all year, the same slider that saved 41 games in 41 chances in the regular season and another perfect 6 in the playoffs, Lidge decided to go with it one more time to get one more save.

To tell you the truth, Hinske didn't stand a chance.

Hinske couldn't touch it and at that moment, a lot happened. Lidge fell to his knees, Carlos Ruiz rushed him, Ryan Howard completely flattened him, and 50,000 people in attendance at CBP got on their feet and cheered. Thousands of others rejoiced around the country as their Phillies did what teams before them couldn't do and that was win the World Series.

I sat there, staring at the TV. My roommate, who doesn't like baseball that much was watching with me and rambling on and on. I turned to him and told him to shut up as a soaked in the glory of finally watching a team and city I followed for 15 years finally win.

The whole series, just like the playoffs, was one sided for the Phillies. After dominating the Brewers in four games and the Dodgers in five, a series versus the virgin Rays would be tough but in the end, it didn't appear that way.

Game one was held in Tampa because the American League won the all star game on a Billy Wagner blown save and Brad Lidge loss (his only of the year). They got the game started early as Chase Utley hit a two-run homer in the first. Ruiz had an RBI in the 4th to make it 3-0. Tampa was able to add a run in the 4th and 5th but that was it. Cole Hamels was dominant as he allowed the only two runs the Rays could muster. Lidge got the save in the 3-2 win for Philadelphia.

Game two was the only game where the Rays had hope. They got two early runs in the 4th and added a couple more later in the game. The Phillies could get a run in the 8th and 9th and would lose 4-2.

Game three was a dramatic one and was where all the momentum became Philadelphia's. With the game tied at 4 in the bottom of the 9th, Eric Bruntlett was hit by a pitch. He moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a throwing error. Tampa Bay intentionally walked the next two batters to load the bases. Bruntlett scored the winning run on Carlos Ruiz's 45-foot infield single.

Game four was complete and utter dominance as Ryan Howard hit two homers, Jayson Werth hit a shot, and Joe Blanton hit his first career home run while pitching a dominant game. The Phillies went on to win 10-2.

Game five was the screwiest game in the history of the World Series. They got things going early again as Shane Victorino drove in two runs in the first. The game got suspended after the top of the 6th inning due to heavy rain. The game was moved to two days later, where they resumed it in the bottom of the 6th.

Geoff Jenkins led off with a double and was bunted to third. Werth then drove in Jenkins to take the lead for the Phillies, 3–2. In the top of the 7th inning, Rocco Baldelli re-tied the game with a solo home run. Later in the inning, Utley faked a throw to first, then threw Bartlett out at home for the third out in a play later described as having saved the Series for the Phillies. In the bottom of the seventh, Pat Burrell led off with a double. Bruntlett, pinch-running for Burrell, scored on a single by Pedro Feliz to put the Phillies up by a run again, 4–3.

Now we move to the top of the 9th, with an 0-2 count to Hinske. Tell it to us one more time, Harry:

One strike away; nothing-and-two, the count to Hinske. Fans on
the their feet; rally towels are being waved. Brad Lidge stretches.
The 0-2 pitch — swing and a miss, struck him out! The Philadelphia
Phillies are 2008 World Champions of baseball! Brad Lidge does it
again, and stays perfect for the 2008 season! 48-for-48 in save
opportunities, and watch the city celebrate! Don't let the 48-hour
wait diminish the euphoria of this moment, and the celebration.
And it has been 28 years since the Phillies have enjoyed a World
Championship; 25 years in this city with a team that has enjoyed
a World Championship, and the fans are ready to celebrate. What a
night!

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.