Happ 2nd In ROY Voting

JA Happ did not win the National League Rookie of the Year award but finished 2nd in voting. Winning the NL honors was Chris Coghlan of the Florida Marlins. Coghlan won 105-94 in votes over Happ. Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson had 37 points and Pirates outfield Andrew McCutchen had 25.

Here is the comparison of the two via Todd Zolecki's article:

Coghlan led all NL rookies in average (.321), runs (84), hits (162), doubles (31), total bases (232), multi-hit games (51) and on-base percentage (.390). Coghlan also posted back-to-back 47-hit months -- becoming the first NL player with 94 hits in a two-month span since 1978 -- and finished sixth in the NL in batting average. Happ was 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA and topped NL rookie pitchers in innings (166), strikeouts (119), complete games (three) and shutouts (two). He had the most wins for any Phillies rookie since Tom Underwood had 14 in 1975. Happ's ERA ranks 11th in franchise history among rookies, and was the lowest since Ben Tincup had a 2.61 ERA in 1914.

Phillies Pitching Takes Shape

Charlie Manuel just reported on a radio show this morning that Pedro Martinez will pitch game two and Cole Hamels will pitch game three via David Murphy on Twitter.

Here are the probables for the first three games:
Wed: PHI: Lee, Cl (2-0, 0.74), NYY: Sabathia (3-0, 1.19)
Thu: PHI: Martinez, P (0-0, 0.00, 7 IP)
Sat: PHI: Hamels (1-1, 6.75)

In my opinion, I think this was the best way to go. Hamels is a better hitter than Martinez so his bat would be useful at Citizens Bank Park. Also Martinez has proved he can still pitch well in the post season. All three of these guys are very capable of beating the Yankees.

Now the only question left to be answered is if Cliff Lee will go game four or will it be between Joe Blanton and JA Happ.

Happ Honored

JA Happ was named by panel of players as the Sporting News National League Rookie of the Year. Along with American League winner Gordon Beckham of the White Sox, Happ was very well deserving of this award. One thing to consider is that this is not the official ROY honors. Those will get announced after the World Series.


Happ went 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA in 35 games (23 starts) during the season. He struck out 119 batters in 166 innings pitched and had two shutouts. He has made to appearances in the NLDS as a reliever and starter and has made to relief stints thus far in the NLCS.


After overcoming just barely making the Opening Day roster, getting thrown in to start when Chan Ho Park couldn't get the job done, and bein thrown around in numerous trade talks for Roy Halladay, Happ settled in real nice and helped lead the Phillies to their third straight NL East championship and second straight NLCS (and likely World Series) berth.

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.

Timely Hitting Sparks Phils

Nothing like some manufactured runs and solid pitching. Now if the Phillies can get that every game, who knows how far it will take them. I saw some things last night that worried me but at the same time saw some things that worked and I liked.

JA Happ and Joe Blanton combined for 5.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks with Happ striking out four in the Phillies 6-5 win over Colorado to take the 2-1 series lead. Chad Durbin got the win as he pitched a flawless 8th and Brad Lidge came on in the 9th after the Phillies go ahead run to close out the game.

Chase Utley had a solo home run in the first but the Phillies saw that lead quickly diminish with a pair of Rockies runs in the bottom. Colorado tacked on another runs in the third inning and the Phillies exploded in the 4th for three runs to take the 4-3 lead. That lead was quickly vanished after Carlos Gonzalez's solo homer in the fourth.

With the game tied at five in the top of the ninth, Jimmy Rollins got on with a single and Shane Victorino bumped him to second on a sacrifice bunt. Utley then reached base on a check-swing infield single. With runners on 1st and 3rd and Ryan Howard at the plate, the league leader in RBI's could do only 1 thing: hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Rollins for the go ahead and game winning score.

Some of the bad things I saw included Happ's performance. He was bad all night, struggling to find the strike zone, getting worked into deep counts, and then getting hit hard by the Rockies. The other bad thing I saw was pinch hitting. Matt Stairs and Greg Dobbs have not been getting the job done. Use Miguel Cairo or if you want you use Ben Francisco, work out a double switch so he can play the field.

Eyre injured his ankle in the 7th inning but appeared to be fine. "I'll be fine, but I sure would love Cliff Lee to throw a seven or eight innings in Game 4 to give me a couple days to rest it." - Eyre. Ruben Amaro Jr. would have to hold me down and tie me up and that's not going to happen because I'm bigger than he is." - Courtesy of Macho Row's Twitter

Some of the good things I saw included Blanton's pitching out of the bull pen. Durbin also looked real nice and Lidge got a huge confidence booster by being given the opportunity to close out a 1-run playoff game.

Next Game: Today at 6:07 EST in Colorado

Weather: 51 degrees at game time

Probables: PHI: Lee, Cl (1-0, 1.00), COL: Jimenez, U (0-1, 9.00)

The Phillies will want to close out this series so they can rest up and get prepared for the NLCS. The Rockies can't afford to lose or else they will have to book their ski trips at Vail. The pitching match ups are going to be the repeat of game 1.

The Phillies offense was consistent throughout the game, getting support from all parts of the line up. The can definitely do that again tonight facing Ubaldo Jimenez, who got beat up in game 1. Lee will look to have a performance similar to his in game 1. If those two things happen, bring on the Dodgers.

Happ to Pitch Game 3

Sorry I wasn't around today to post this but as you may know, tonight's game was cancelled due to it snowing and being below 20 degrees in Colorado. The Phillies will play tomorrow night and Monday in Colorado. Pedro Martinez, who was slated to pitch today, will not be the starter tomorrow. Instead it will be JA Happ. A game four starter was not named yet. Tomorrow's game will be at 10:07 EST and Monday's will be late as well. The Rockies will put Jason Hammel, who was scheduled for game three, on the mound versus Happ.

In other news, The Dodgers beat the Cardinals yesterday 5-1 to cap off the sweep and earning them a spot in the NLCS versus the winner of the Phillies/Rockies series, currently tied at 1 game apiece. The Dodgers will have home field regardless of who wins the series.

UPDATE: Game 4's time was not announced yet but Cliff Lee and Ubaldo Jimenez are the probables for that game. Lee out pitched Jimenez in game 1 and both will be working on five days rest.

Phils Fail to Come Back; Series Tied at 1

Cole Hamels was not the Cole Hamels of 2008 and Aaron Cook proved once again that the Phillies can't hit sinker-ballers as the Rockies won the nail-biter, 5-4. In a game that saw the Phillies fight back from 4-0, it ended with them coming up short with runners in scoring position once again.

The Rockies jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first and the got a two run homer from Yorvit Torrealba in the fourth. Hamels got yanked after the fifth when he allowed one more run. Joe Blanton pitched the sixth and some of the seventh before he was replaced by JA Happ, who left after taking a line drive off his left knee. Scott Eyre came in and allowed a run that was earned by Blanton. Brett Myers, Antonio Bastardo, and Ryan Madson also got some work.

The Phillies offense was dead up until the sixth when they got three runs off an RBI double by Howard and a two-run single by Ibanez. After Colorado made it a 5-3 game, Jayson Werth ripped a solo homer in the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth and Houston Street in to close for Colorado, the Phillies got a one-out walk from Matt Stairs, who was replaced by Cliff Lee on the bases and then followed up by an out from Ben Francisco and a base hit from Jimmy Rollins. With runners on second and third, Shane Victorino lined out to end the game and Street got the shaky save.

Some things I observed will start with the offense. The Phillies are getting production from 2-6 in the line up but there is no consistency. If this offense can be consistent, they will win games. Hamels shouldn't be entirely to blame due to him not having any support and was thinking about his wife, who went into labor during the game.

Now the other observation I made that really confused me was how Charlie Manuel handled the bull pen. He used Blanton and Happ in this game, a completely asinine move. Now Blanton and Happ should be eligible to start Sunday but who knows now with the health of Happ's left leg, where he suffered a contusion.

Next Game: Saturday 9:37 EST @ Colorado

Probables: PHI: Pedro Martinez, COL: Jason Hammel

This is a must win for either team as it will put the loser on the brink of elimination. The Phillies could be looking at playing 30 degree weather and a chance of snow. "I'm going to enjoy the snow. Maybe I'll be rounding the bases in a snowmobile," said Martinez via Todd Zolecki's Twitter.

I love the attitude of Martinez. This guy is so relaxed and calm but knows how to turn on the intensity and win the game. If the Pedro from 10 years ago (or even a couple weeks ago) shows up, expect a 2-1 series lead in favor of the Phillies.

UPDATE: Game 4 will be Sunday at 10:07 EST in Colorado.

Lee Dominates Game 1

Cliff Lee fell only one out from a complete game shut out in his first playoff start but he did just fine as the Phillies won 5-1 to start the NLDS. The Phillies take an early 1-0 lead in the best of five series versus Colorado, a huge win for a team that struggled down the stretch in September.

I couldn't watch most of the game because I was in class from 3:15 until 6:00 but from what I was able to see when sneaking a peak online (channelsurfing.net is a great site to watch games), I was very impressed and very pleased to see this team manufacture five runs without the long ball.

The bats came alive in the 5th inning when the Phillies got two runs off of an RBI double by Raul Ibanez and an RBI single by Carlos Ruiz. They then tacked on three more runs in the sixth with Ryan Howard's RBI double, Jayson Werth's RBI triple off th left-centerfield wall that would have been gone if it weren't for the hurricane-like winds, and then an RBI single by Ibanez to cap off the scoring.

Lee was phenomenal in his start, pitching a complete game, allowing one run on six hits, a walk, and striking out five. It was nice having him go the whole way because I think the Phillies are still uncertain with their bull pen.

Ubaldo Jimenez was doing fine until that 6th inning came around. He got yanked after Werth's triple and got charged with the run when Ibanez singled him in.

Next Game: Thursday at 2:37 PM EST
Probables: COL: Aaron Cook, PHI: Cole Hamels

The Phillies would love to take both home games versus the Rockies so they can go to Denver for one and be done with this series. The faster they end this series, the more rest Lee and Hamels will get and be ready to be the #1 and #2 for the NLCS.

The Rockies need this win bad in order to earn a crucial split in Philadelphia and not be on the brink of elimination if they go down 0-2. They are a come back team so the Phillies should not ease up at all this series.

If Hamels can follow up Lee's stellar performance, look for the Phillies to turn to JA Happ for game three. The Rockies had trouble with the left-handed Lee all day today and could continue to struggle versus Hamels and possibly Happ.

Happ or Pedro?

A huge decision the Phillies will have to make is who there 4th starter will be for the NLDS. It's down to JA Happ or Pedro Martinez. Here is a short list of positives for each player to consider:

Pedro (RHP):
-Has pitched will in September.
-Has been in the playoffs before and has the composure to pitch when it matters.
-He's 100% healthy.
-Will balance the playoff rotation with two lefties and two righties.

Happ (LHP):
-Has been the Phillies best pitcher since he became the starter.
-Colorado's line up features lefties.
-Earned a CG SHO in August versus Colorado.

Phils Earn Split; Eliminate Fish

It was another rough series for the Phillies. It showed that they still have problems in the bull pen with Tyler Walker surrendering a walk off homer and Ryan Madson almost blowing a save today. The Phillies are still trying to find a reliable arm to finish off games.

One big problem has been pitching all together. The offense is providing enough pop for them to win (averaged six runs a game during the series) but the starting and relief pitching has given up the leads provided by the offense.

Thursday - Philles won 9-4: The Phillies offense exploded for six runs in the 5th inning, backing up JA Happ who went 5.2 innings and allowed two runs on two walks, six hits, and seven strike outs. Jimmy Rollins hit a three run homer and Ryan Howard and Pedro Feliz drove in a pair each.

Friday - Brewers won 8-4: Cliff Lee is starting to scare me. He's starting to look like the Cliff Lee in the beginning of the season. He got roughed up again, this time by Milwaukee. Howard was the only bright spot for the Phillies, driving in three runs.

Saturday - Brewers won 7-5: Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer combined for eight innings and five runs. In the bottom of the ninth, Tyler Walker coughed up a two-run walk off homer to Ryan Braun. Howard and Paul Bako both homered for the Phils.

Sunday - Phillies won 6-5: Joe Blanton looked so good until the 6th where he surrendered four runs. He still earned the victory because the bull pen bailed him out (surprisingly). Ryan Madson earned his ninth save of the season in a nail biter.

Series MVP's:

Ryan Howard: 8-18, 3 runs, 2 doubles, HR, 7 RBI's

Jimmy Rollins: 6-19, 5 runs, double, 2 HR, 4 RBI's

Ryan Braun: 7-19, 3 runs, walk-off HR, 4 RBI's

Next Series: Houston Astros (72-83, 28-46 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (90-65, 42-32 at home)

Pitching Probables:

Monday: HOU: Bazardo (0-2, 9.55), PHI: Hamels (10-9, 4.11)
Tuesday: HOU: Lopez, W (0-0, 8.44), PHI: Happ (11-4, 2.79)

Wednesday: HOU: Moehler (8-11, 5.21), PHI: Lee, Cl (14-12, 3.19)

Thursday: HOU: Paulino, F (2-11, 6.51), PHI: Martinez, P (5-1, 3.32)

The Astros lead the series 4-0, surprisingly. We all remember that awful sweep that could have easily sealed the fate on the Phillies season but it didn't. Now it's the Phillies turn to earn some retribution and finish off the Braves. The Phillies magic number is now at three (the Braves are the only team left).

The Phillies are entering their final home stand with four versus Houston and then three versus Florida. They can clinch the division at home, a fitting end to the season. This will be the third straight year the Phillies won the division (the only other time it was done was from 1976-78).

The Phillies will win (I hope) and they will be crowned division champions in fron of the home crowd on Wednesday.

Bad Time For Blown Saves

*photo from "We Should Be GM's"

Brad Lidge was back to his usual self once again. While everyone is counting down the Phillies magic number (5 for Atlanta and 4 for Florida), I'm counting up for Lidge's blown save total. He is currently sitting at 11. That is absolute garbage. Some consider this the best Phillies team ever and he is holding them back.

He held them back again in their series loss to the Marlins. After crushing Florida in the first game and being shut out the second game on Tuesday, the offense provided them with enough runs to win the game and move one game closer to clinching the division but Ryan Madson and Lidge combined for three earned runs to give the Marlins the 7-6 win.

I have asked this question throughout the season and I will ask it again: what the hell are we going to do about Lidge and the closer role for the playoffs? Brett Myers is nursing a back injury and will be out another week. Scott Eyre, Chan Ho Park, and JC Romero are all looking at returns to the pen around the same time as Myers but like Brett, won't even be close to taking a role like closer.

Of the healthy choices, Madson sucks as a closer and that is all there is to it. Jamie Moyer does not have the stuff to be a closer, especially with an 82 MPH fastball and a 76-78 MPH change-up. Pedro Martinez could most likely be the fourth starter in the playoffs. JA Happ may actually be a great choice but he is also battling Martinez for the fourth rotation spot and will likely serve as a primary reliever if he is placed in the pen.

The term "Closer by committee" has been thrown around a lot after Lidge's poor display last night and I totally agree. Tyler Walker has earned a crack at the closer role and Clay Condrey could take a stab as well. Those two along with Martinez/Happ/Moyer, Park, and maybe Madson/Lidge could work together to take turns and finish this out.

It's all in the hands of Charlie Manuel who said this:

"Him and Madson, that's what we've got in the back of our bull pen. He was our closer last year and he'll be our closer now... You're supposed to win a majority of those games/ Exactly what percent I don't know but it's God damn high... "Those are our guys. That's what we've got. We'll stick with them... (Lidge) has to do it. Between him and Madson, they've got to do it, I should say. They've got to get it done."

Is Manuel tired of this crap? Certainly but he's relying on keeping Lidge in until he fixes his stuff. We remember the last time Manuel stood by Lidge: he yanked him with the bases loaded and let Lidge watch Madson get out of the jam. Manuel knows what he's doing (we hope) so it's all in his hands.

Phillies Magic #6

I apologize for not having this up sooner. I went to the Dave Matthews Band concert last night and had school commitments this morning and afternoon. In brief, the Phillies took two from Atlanta, dropping their magic number to six. It was an odd series as JA Happ, Pedro Martinez, and Cliff Lee all saw shortened action for a variety of reasons.

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (87-61, 45-29 on road) @ Florida Marlins (80-70, 40-35 at home)


Pitching Probables:
Tuesday #1: PHI: Blanton (10-7, 3.97) vs. FLA: Johnson, Josh (15-4, 3.01)
Tuesday #2: PHI: Moyer (12-9, 5.05) vs. FLA: Sanchez, An (2-7, 4.50)
Wednesday: PHI: Hamels (10-9, 4.07); FLA: VandenHurk (2-2, 4.24)

The Phillies can very easily put the division away with a sweep of the Marlins and more falling by the Braves. With each win, the magic number decreases one and each loss by the Braves or Marlins sees the magic drop another game as well.

The Phillies lead the series 7-5 and after this three game series in Miami, they will play three more to finish the season back home. The Marlins need a sweep bad and the Phillies want to win their third straight division title since 1976-1978, their only other time doing it.

The Marlins are third in the NL in batting average while the Phillies are 10th. The Phillies are first in runs scored while Florida is fourth. As far as pitching goes, the Marlins are ninth in ERA and the Phillies are sixth.

The Phillies have held the slight season advantage and the Marlins seem to be pretty much out of this season. I expect at least two wins by the Phightin's.

BlueClaws Win SAL

Your Lakewood BlueClaws are the 2009 South Atlantic League champions. This is their second championship in four years as they beat the Greenville Drive (Red Sox). Korey Noles was the winning pitcher in the clinching game as he went seven strong innings to bring the John H. Moss Cup back to Lakewood, NJ.

Lakewood held Kannapolis Intimidators (White Sox), which owned the league's best overall regular-season record, to two runs in a two-game sweep of the Northern Division finals, then limited Greenville to six runs over four games in the Championship Series.

The Single A team is led by one of the Phillies' other top OF prospects, Anthony Gose. He is their lead off man and spark for offense. In the first inning, he led off the game with a single, took second on a sacrifice, stole third, and then scored on a ground out. That sounds a lot like Jimmy Rollins.

There are quite a bit of notable Phillies who are alumni to this team. They include Cole Hamels, JA Happ, Ryan Howard, Kyle Kendrick, Carlos Ruiz, and Shane Victorino.

Injury Update

There is a bunch of updates to be made with the Phillies injury list. First off, both JA Happ and Carlos Ruiz left tonight's game early. Happ re-aggravated his oblique strain and Ruiz sprained his wrist. Charlie Manuel said that Ruiz is fine but there is no word on Happ just yet though it's speculated it was just precautionary. Ryan Howard was also hit in the forearm with a pitch.

Here are a few tweets from Dave Murphey and Todd Zolecki:

Zo:
-Manuel said Ruiz should be OK and not miss much time.
-Happ said he was fine. Felt nothing. Feels nothing. He wanted to keep pitching.
-Ryan Howard said his right forearm is sore and stiff. Got hit in the same exact spot yesterday. Hopes to play tomorrow, but isn't sure.

Murphey:
-Happ said he didn't feel anything, tried to convince manuel to leave him in

Also Scott Eyre and JC Romero will throw bull pen sessions tomorrow.

9th Inning Woes

It seems that no matter who pitches in the ninth inning, the Phillies cannot close out baseball games. Brad Lidge has blown 10 saves this year and his supposed replacement, Ryan Madson, just blew his sixth save Saturday night versus the Mets.

With two outs and nobody on in the top of the ninth, Madson gave up a single to Fernando Tatis and then a two-run go ahead home run to David Wright, giving the Mets the 10-9 lead and victory. Madson is 1-3 with a 7.82 ERA and 7 saves in 13 save opportunities this season. Opponents have hit .352 against him.

My argument for Brett Myers came to a screeching hault as he put the Mets back in the game. He came in the eigth and only last a third of the inning, giving up a two-run bomb to Wright and another run that Chan Ho Park inherited.

So who does this leave us with? We're still waiting for JC Romero to get back so he could be a set up man and no one else in the pen has any good closer experience. The Phillies don't want to turn to a young arm in Andrew Carpenter to close. Lidge is a headcase, Madson and Park suck, and Myers isn't ready yet.

People, I am officially stumped. The only solution is for the offense to score a lot of runs and the starting pitching to go seven innings a game and not give up five runs a start. Cliff Lee needs to pitch better, JA Happ needs to get healthy, Joe Blanton needs to recover from that bad start the other day and Cole Hamels needs to maintain his dominance he's shown his past few starts.

Ass-tro Kicking

This was one of the saddest displays I have ever seen by the Phillies, not including 1997-2002 only because expectations weren't that high. The Phillies are the road warriors! They killed teams on the road. The Astros are pitiful and can't win a stretch of games. So how does one of the best teams in baseball get swept by one of the worst?

The Phillies still can't do a thing with runners in scoring position and the bull pen doesn't know how to hold leads, especially blown save specialist Brad Lidge. I already wrote my rant on Brad Lidge so I don't feel like beating a dead horse.

The only bright spots in this series have been starting pitchers, Ryan Howard, and Brett Myers. The things to worry about include Cliff Lee's second bad start, RISP problems, and Brad Lidge.

Friday - Astros won 7-0: This was such a pathetic display. Lee got shelled for the second straight game and the offense just went blank. Carlos Ruiz managed to get three hits in the game.

Saturday - Astros won 5-4: Ryan Howard continues to play hard for this team as we had a triple and an RBI. Joe Blanton pitched well enough for the win but Brad Lidge thought that game would be a good time to blow his 10th save. With the bases loaded, Kaz Matsui hit a two run single in the bottom of the ninth to win.

Sunday - Astros won 4-3: Oh Cole Hamels, you were pitching so well until the 5th inning. Hamels got whacked around in the 5th and the Phillies couldn't recover. They got runs on three solo homers by Jimmy Rollins, Ben Francisco, and Jayson Werth.

Monday - Astros won 4-3: Another lead given up by the bull pen as Chan Ho Park was the next culprit. JA Happ was scratched with an oblique strain so Jamie Moyer got the start. Moyer pitched well in his first start in about a month but Park lost the lead in the 7th. Howard and Raul Ibanez went back-to-back in the fourth to originally give the Phillies the 3-2 lead.

Series MVP's: despite the sweep, only two Phillies deserved recognition for their good play.

Ryan Howard - 5-15, 2 R, triple, homer, 3 RBI

Jamie Moyer - 2 appearances, one start, 9 IP, 4 H, 3 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (77-58, 41-27 on road) @ Washington Nationals (47-90, 28-41 at home)

Pitching Probables:

Tuesday - PHI: Martinez, P (3-0, 3.52), WSH: Lannan (8-10, 4.09)

Wednesday - PHI: Lee, Cl (12-11, 3.06), WSH: Mock (3-7, 5.63)

Thursday - PHI: Blanton (9-6, 3.80), WSH: Hernandez (7-10, 5.44)

Phillies lead the series 10-2. The Nationals are the worst team in baseball and anything similar to what happened in Houston would be absolutely pathetic. There really is no key game to this series as they are all key. The Phillies need to get out of this four-game skid, especially versus the lowly Nats.

Washington has actually had a higher team batting average than the Phillies, sitting in 6th place in the NL while the Phillies are 11th. As far as runs scored, the Phillies terrible display of offense has dropped them well behind Colorado in the NL as the Nats sit in 8th.

The Phillies are the better team but with their recent skid of losing five of their last six and only scoring 23 runs in their last 11 games. I hope they sweep the Nationals to get them out of this offensive funk. We shall see.

Happ Scratched, Moyer Starting

Todd Zolecki via Twitter:

LHP J.A. Happ has been scratched from today's start with a mild strain of his right oblique. Jamie Moyer gets the nod.

This is wonderful news. I guess being swept by Houston is the only thing the Phillies fans can count on.

Moyer has looked impressive though in his three relief stints. He's tossed 13.1 innings and allowed only two runs, striking out 12.

Pitchers Dominate Series

The bats of the Phillies came alive at very precise moments to provide a very low-scoring series win. In fact, the Phillies won the series 2-1 despite being outscored 5-3 by the Giants. It was a quick series too as the games lasted 2:20, 2:36, and 2:08 respectively.

Tuesday - Phillies won 1-0: The Phillies got all the offense it needed from Ryan Howard's RBI double in the 4th as Cole Hamels pitched a complete game shut out. In nine innings, Hamels struck out nine, allowing only two hits and a walk.

Wednesday - Giants won 4-0: JA Happ got whacked around a bit and the Phillies offense made Brad Penny look like an ace. Happ gave up all four runs on eight hits and a walk, striking out seven in six innings. Penny threw eight shut out innings, surrendering five hits and a walk.

Thursday - Phillies won 2-1: Pedro Martinez looked ten years younger as he threw seven innings of one-run ball after giving up a first pitch homer to start the game. He struck out nine batters and only threw 87 pitches. He got support from Jayson Werth's monster blast in the second and then from Howard's RBI double in the sixth.

Series MVP's:

Cole Hamels: CG, 0 R/ER, 2 H, 1 BB, 9 K

Ryan Howard: 4-11, 3 doubles, 2 RBI's, 2 GW hits

Pedro Martinez: 7 IP, 1 R/ER, 5 H, 0 BB, 9 K

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (77-54, 41-23 on road) @ Houston Astros (63-70, 35-30 at home)

Pitching Probables:

Friday: PHI: Lee, Cl (12-10, 2.83), HOU: Rodriguez, W (12-9, 2.93)

Saturday: PHI: Blanton (9-6, 3.77), HOU: Oswalt (8-5, 3.80)

Sunday: PHI: Hamels (8-8, 4.26), HOU: Norris (3-3, 6.61)

Monday: PHI: Happ (10-4, 2.77), HOU: Moehler (8-10, 5.11)

Key Game:

The Phillies need to establish their dominance in this series early. Friday's game is key because it is Cliff Lee's first start since getting burned against the Braves. He will look to feast on a weak Astros offense.

This is the first match ups between the two teams. It will be a four-game series which is actually good for the Phillies since they are road warriors. The Astros are pretty much out of this season so the Phillies can easily kick this team while they are down.

The Astros are a poor team all around. Offensively they are 5th in average and 12th in scoring in the NL while the Phillies are 11th and 2nd. The drop from 1st to 2nd is due to the Phillies lack of scoring their past 7 games. Pitching has really stepped up for the Phillies as they are 7th in ERA while Houston is 12th.

This should be a series win for the Phillies as they see their magic number drop fast. They have their four best pitchers going versus Houston as they get set for a good September heading into the playoffs. Phillies take three and score big in atleast two games.

Phillies Gain Ground

The Phightin's came up with a huge series win on Atlanta tonight, expanding their division lead to eight games on both the Braves and Fish. This series showed how human Cliff Lee can be and how effective Pedro Martinez and Jamie Moyer are in the same game. This gives the Phillies more depth in the bull pen as the "two old goats" could see time there in the playoffs.

Friday - Phillies won 4-2: Ryan Howard had two homers and drove in all four runs. It was another rain delayed game so the Pedro-Moyer connections pitched 6.1 innings allowing a run on five hits and striking out six. Moyer earned the win and Brad Lidge notched his 26th save.

Saturday - Braves won 9-1: Lee came back down to earth as he got rocked by Atlanta for six runs on three long balls. He lasted five innings, striking out five. Chase Utley hit a homer in the first and that was it for the scoring.

Sunday - Phillies won 3-2: Big Joe Blanton got some run support in the seventh off of Carlos Ruiz's two run double. Blanton tossed seven innings, allowing a run on three hits and four walks, striking out seven. Brad Lidge pitched a 1-2-3- ninth for his 27th save.

Series MVP's:

Ryan Howard: 6-11, 2 R, 2B, 2 HR, 3 RBI

Chase Utley: 5-12, 3 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI

Brad Lidge: 2 IP, 2 K, 2 Saves (this is impressive the way he's played all year)

Next Series: San Francisco Giants (72-59, 28-38) @ Philadelphia Phillies (75-53, 34-30 at home)

Pitching Probables:

Tuesday: SF: Sanchez, J (6-10, 4.27), PHI: Hamels (7-8, 4.52)

Wednesday: SF: Lincecum (13-4, 2.33), PHI: Happ (10-3, 2.63)

Thursday: SF: Zito (9-11, 3.94), PHI: Martinez, P (2-0, 4.50)

Key Game: Wednesday's game is going to feature NL Rookie of the Year candidate JA Happ versus last year's NL Cy Young winner and candidate for this year, Tim Lincecum. Both pitchers have been tops on their teams and are in the top five in ERA in the NL. Lincecum pitched eight scoreless as the Giants shut out the Phillies on August 1. Happ hasn't face San Fran this year.

The Giants lead the series 3-1 after dominance in their own park. Well the Giants aren't that hot on the road and the Phillies have been good in their own park as of late. This should be a very interesting series as the Giants are in a heated Wild Card race with the Rockies.

The Giants are not an offensive powerhouse like the Phillies. They're ninth in the NL in average and 13th in runs scored. They are also 16th in homers. The Phillies are first in runs scored and homers and 11th in average. Pitching is the other way around as the Giants are second in ERA while the Phillies are eighth.

The Phillies are very capable of winning this series as they only have to face Lincecum and not Matt Cain as well. If the bats can wake up a bit, they should be able to win this series to keep pace in the NL east. Phillies will take two this series.

Plundered By Pirates

After exploding versus the Mets, the offense basically died down minus a few spurts versus Pittsburgh. Another problem that needs to be corrected before the season ends is the bull pen. Brad Lidge blew another save in the first game and Ryan Madson even followed that up with one the next game, erasing a great start by Cole Hamels.

Tuesday - Pirates won 6-4: After being down 3-2, the Phillies offense exploded to take a 4-3 lead. All Lidge has to do is get three outs, right? Should be an easy task. Not for him as he gave up a hit, an error by Jayson Werth that allowed the tying run to score and then a two-run walk off home run by Andrew McCutchen to end it.

Wednesday - Phillies won 4-1: Hamels went eight shut out innings, allowing seven hits and a pair of walks, striking out seven. Madson came in for the save and gave up a home run. Ryan Howard saved the game with a three run blast. Chase Utley had a homer in the first.

Thursday - Pirates won 3-2: JA Happ pitched a rare complete game loss as he went eight innings. He had the lead all the way until the eighth when he surrendered a two run homer to Garret Jones. He still pitched well, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks. He also struck out four. Paul Bako hit his second homer of the year.

Next Series: Atlanta Braves (67-60, 32-30 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (73-52, 33-29 at home)

Braves lead the series 8-4. The Braves are still seven games back from the Phillies and they know they need to sweep to get back in this. The Phillies are streaky and want to avoid that scenario as much as possible. They will have Cliff Lee on the mound during the series and he has shown no signs of being beatable yet.

On the offensive side, the Braves have a tendency to get guys on base but not get them home. They are third in the NL in batting average but only seventh in runs scored. The Phillies have the opposite problem as they lead the league in scoring. Atlanta is fourth in pitching ERA while the Phillies are improving, moving up to sixth.

The match ups at pitcher favor the Phillies despite the first game. Pedro Martinez has shown some bright spots but he isn't much of a difference than Jamie Moyer. Both teams need to win this series but the Braves need a sweep more, a much more difficult task. Phillies will bounce back to win the series.

Pitching Probables:

Friday: ATL: Hanson (9-2, 3.12), PHI: Martinez, P (2-0, 5.14)

Saturday: ATL: Lowe, D (12-8, 4.48), PHI: Lee, Cl (12-9, 2.63)

Sunday: ATL: Jurrjens (10-8, 2.91), PHI: Blanton (8-6, 3.88)