PRC: Joe Blanton

Player: Joe Blanton
Number: 56
Position: SP
Bats/Throws: R/R

Consistency: Blanton started out the season very poorly in April, going 0-2 with an 8.41 ERA in four games. He settled down through the rest of the season, having his best month in July. He had a few bad starts thrown in there but overall was very consistent. He started in the bull pen in the playoffs, pitching in relief twice in the NLDS and starting a game in both the NLCS and World Series.

Blanton is eligible for arbitration and hopefully a deal is worked out with him. He could be the Phillies #3 starter next season.

Regular Season Stats: 12-8, 195.1 IP, 198 H, 89 R, 88 ER, 30 HR, 59 BB, 163 K, 4.05 ERA, 1.32 WHIP

Post Season Stats: 0-0, 4 G, 2 GS, 15.2 IP, 15 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 4 BB, 10 K, 5.17 ERA

Health: He was healthy all year.

Intangibles: Blanton is their best righty in the rotation. He showed a lot of versatility coming out of the pen and then starting in the playoffs. He’ll be 29 before the beginning of next season and the Phillies need to lock him up for a few years at least. He’ll never be an ace on this staff but he will be a much better option as a #3 than Brett Myers would have been and matched up against other teams’ #3’s, the Phillies can have confidence in him.

Overall Grade: B-. I based this off of his composure and consistency. Before Cliff Lee came to the Phillies, he was their best pitcher. He led the team in innings pitched, tied for team lead with 12 wins, and second in strike outs to Cole Hamels. Ever since he came here from the Oakland trade, he has been very consistent.

Phils Fail at Comeback, Yanks Up 3-1

All Brad Lidge had to do was get Johnny Damon out. But he was resilient. Damon fought off every strike-two pitch by Lidge until he got the one he like. After his base hit and steal of second and third, Mark Teixeira walked and Alex Rodriguez drove in Damon to make it a 5-4 game. Jorge Posada tacked on two more with a double to make it 7-4, the final of game four as the Yankees take a commanding 3-1 lead in the World Series. For the record, this was not Brad Lidge's fault.

Joe Blanton pitched well, allowing four runs on five hits and two walks in six innings of work. He also struck out seven. His counterpart, C.C. Sabathia went 6.2 innings, giving up three runs on seven hits, three walks, and striking out six. He was yanked after Chase Utley made it a 4-3 game with his solo homer in the 7th. Mariano Rivera pitched a quick 9th to earn his second save of the series.

The Phillies had to come back twice in the game. Down 2-0 in the first, the Phillies added a run in the bottom half. They then got another in the 4th off a Pedro Feliz double that scored Ryan Howard from second. Howard appeared to have never touched home plate but was ruled safe. In the top of the 5th, Blanton gave up two more runs to make it a 4-2 game.

After Utley made it 4-3 in the 7th, Pedro Feliz hit a two-out solo home run in the bottom of the 8th off Joba Chamberlain to tie it up. The the wheels fell off as Lidge had to face the top of a Yankees order that scored the most runs in the majors and 95 more than the Phillies, who were 4th.

Star of the Game:

Game 1: Cliff Lee

Game 2: AJ Burnett

Game 3: Nick Swisher

Game 4: Johnny Damon

Next Game: Monday in Philadelphia, 7:57 EST

Series: Yankees lead 3-1

Pitching Probables: AJ Burnett vs. Cliff Lee

Gameday Discussion: Liberty Bell Sports

This is for the Phillies. They are on the ropes. They need to win the next three versus the Yankees, two in New York. An easy task? Hell no. A doable task? Yes it is. Cliff Lee has been incredible this post season and will need to give the Phillies some momentum going into New York. The series isn't over and the Phillies don't give up. Not ever!

No matter the out come of this series, I'll still be writing this blog and I will still be loving the Phillies. This is a team that has been the basis of my sports-loving life since I was five and I have never given up on this team. No matter what happens tonight or Wednesday or Thursday, the real fans will still love this team. Go Phils!

Game 4: Tale of the Tape

My buddy, Dan MacNeal of Liberty Bell Sports, had the idea to do a "Tale of the Tape" for the pitching match up tonight at 7:57 EST in Philadelphia. Tonight's heavyweight match up will be between Joe Blanton of the Phillies versus C.C. Sabathia of the Yankees.
In this corner! The beared baby face...... Jooooeeeeee Blanton! And in this corner! He eats hot dogs for a living...... Mark Sanchez... eerrrr C.C Saaaaabathia!

Yanks Power Their Way to 2-1

The Yankees won game three 8-5 and took a 2-1 lead in the World Series. Nick Swisher killed the Phillies, going 2-4 with a double, home run, and two runs scored. Andy Pettitte got through six solid innings, only allowing four runs on five hits, three walks, and seven strike outs. Mariano Rivera got the save once again.

The Yankees offense combined with three home runs total thanks to Alex Rodriguez, Swisher, and Hideki Matsui.

Three things after this game: Cole Hamels is a girl, the offense has disappeared, and Joe Blanton needs to pitch his ass off tomorrow. Let's talk about each item individually.

1) Hamels was attrocious. He lasted only 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on five hits, two walks and striking out three. He pitched no-hit ball through the first three and then saw the wheels fall off. After walking Mark Teixeira on a questionable call in the fourth, Rodriguez hit a two-run homer that barely made it out. In the fifth, Hamels gave up a series of hits that led to three more runs and and early exit with only one out.

The pen couldn't keep the game close either as JA Happ, Chad Durbin, Brett Myers, and Madson combined to give up three runs and two homers in 4.2 innings pitched. I'm not pitting a lot of blame on them but you need to be good in the World Series. The garbage the Yankees call a bull pen out-pitched you.

2) Ryan Howard struck out three more times and is 2-13 with nine strike outs this series. Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Raul Ibanez looked lost at their plate appearances, going a combined 0-11 with a sacrifice fly and RBI. As expected, Pedro Feliz has been a penciled-in out in key situations. Jayson Werth was the only bright spot with his two home runs.

They blew some big opportunities. The first came in the second inning. Yes they got three runs that inning but had the bases loaded with one out and could only get a walked-in run by Jimmy Rollins and a sacrifice fly by Victorino. Utley didn't show up with a runner in scoring position, keeping the Yankees in the game.

3) Charlie Manuel needs to stick to his gut for game four. They are only down 2-1 in the series and shouldn't jump to Cliff Lee early for game four. He has Blanton going up against C.C. Sabathia, who wasn't that sharp in game one. The Phillies can hit Sabathia and they know that. Blanton needs to go out their and do his job. He is a good pitcher and needs to realize that and pitch like it.

Star of the Game:
Game 1: Cliff Lee
Game 2: AJ Burnett
Game 3: Nick Swisher

Next Game: Sunday in Philadelphia, 7:57 EST
Series: Yankees lead 2-1
Pitching Probables: C.C. Sabathia vs. Joe Blanton
Gameday Discussion: Liberty Bell Sports

Oh look! They're playing the Yankees again. Beat them.

Blanton to Pitch Game 4

Todd Zolecki just reported on his Twitter that Charlie Manuel is going to pitch Joe Blanton in game four in Philadelphia on Sunday versus CC Sabathia. This will line up Cliff Lee for game five, Pedro Martinez for game six, and Cole Hamels for game seven. Lee will be eligible to pitch out of the bull pen for game seven if necessary.

Manuel's reasoning via @ToddZolecki: "Manuel said he didn't want to pitch Lee on short rest in Game 4 because he's never done it, he's pitched a lot of innings this year, etc."

Blanton this year in the post season has only made one start in the NLCS and two relief appearances in the NLDS, posting a 4.50 ERA. In his start versus the Dodgers, he went six innings, allowing four runs and three earned on six hits and two walks, striking out two. In last years playoffs, he went 2-0 in three starts with a 3.18 ERA. He also hit a home run in game four of the World Series versus the Tampa Bay Rays.
I think this is a good move. Manuel actually makes a lot of good moves just the players don't perform and it makes him look bad. It will make sure Lee is fresh plus it puts the Phillies three best hitting pitchers at the plate in Philadelphia. Also Martinez seemed to enjoy the negative response from the Yankees crowd during game two because he's a little twisted. "I know they really want to root for me. If I was on the Yankees I’d probably be like a king over here."

Gotta love Pedro.

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.

Filling In the Void

Here are a few things I read during the past couple days in the wake of the Phillies second straight NL championship. We are all sitting here watching the Angels refuse to go away as the series heads back to New York for game six with the Yankees up 3-2.

Rollins, Victorino Fine:

Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino were both hit by pitches during Wednesday's 10-4 win over the Dodgers. Rollins took a pitch off his left foot and hobbled to first. He was visibly frustrated after the pitch and was also noticeably hurt during the remainder of the game. Victorino was hit in the left elbow. Both had X-rays done and both came back negative.

After Lee, Rotation Not Set:

A very interesting scenario is starting to play out for the Phillies as they wait to see how the rest of the Yankees/Angels series plays out. Regardless of the opponent, the Phillies will be on the road for the first two, at home for the next three, and will close the series on the road.

Cliff Lee is the starter for game one but after him, it isn't clear who will pitch games two through four. The Phillies are thinking about Cole Hamels for game two and I actually disagree. Hamels is a better hitter than Pedro Martinez and I would rather see him at the plate for at least two at-bats.

I also feel that putting Hamels versus the Yankees third starter is a better match up even though it could very well be C.C. Sabathia. Andy Pettite will start game six tomorrow for the Yankees and Sabathia likely in game seven. This is all assuming the Yankees do win the series.

My rotation looks like this: Lee, Martinez, Hamels, Blanton

Phillies Don't Care Who Opponent Will Be:

Sure beating the Yankees would be sweeter but if they face the Angels, the task will still be difficult. Regardless of who they play, the Phillies know what needs to be done and that is win.

David Montgomery had this to say:

"We're happy to represent the National League and I'm sure we'll be facing the best of the American League," Phillies president David Montgomery said. "In the case of the Angels, they're the only team other than us who has won their division three [years] in a row. And the Yankees have the best record in baseball. Now it's set up, whichever team we play, we absolutely can feel that we'll be facing the best of the American League."

The Phillies Are J-Roll-in'

This team is incredible. They keep you on the edge of your seat for 26 outs while you bite your nails all the way to your elbow. Then with one mighty swing, they win the game and rip the hearts out of their opponent, sending the Phillie Phaithful into a euphoria.

The Phillies overcame a rocky start by Joe Blanton and a good start by Randy Wolf to win game four in dramatic fashion and take a commanding 3-1 series lead. Jimmy Rollins' walk-off two-run double off of Jonathon Broxton tied and won the game. Brad Lidge pitched the 9th and earned the win. It was game four last NLCS when Matt Stairs hit the game winning two-run homer in the top of the 9th off Broxton.

Blanton came out firing, retiring the first ten batters but then hit a snag in the 4th inning. He finished six innings, allowing four runs, three earned on six hits, two walks, and two strike outs. He allowed a solo home run to Matt Kemp in the 5th inning to give the Dodgers the 3-2 lead. They then added another off Blanton in the 6th.

The Phillies quickly got a run back in the bottom of the 6th off of a Shane Victorino triple and a Chase Utley RBI single. The bull pen was rock solid from the 6th inning on, only allowing two hits, two walks, and striking out five.

In the bottom of the 9th, Raul Ibanez led off with a ground out. Matt Stairs then pinch hit and walked on four pitches. Eric Bruntlett came in to pinch run and Carlos Ruiz was hit by a pitch to put two on. Greg Dobbs then pinch hit and hit a weak line drive for out number two. With two men on and two outs, Rollins took Broxton's 99 MPH fastball to right-center for to score Bruntlett and Ruiz to win the game.

Ryan Howard got the game going in the first inning with his two-run homer. That homer tied him up with Lou Gherig for most consecutive games with an RBI in multiple post seasons with eight games.

Of course I saw some bad things but I really don't give a damn. This team never gives up and never will and that is the formula a World Series team has.

Next Game: Wednesday in Philadelphia, 8:07 EST

Series: Phillies lead 3-1

Pitching Probables: LAD: Padilla (1-0, 0.63), PHI: Hamels (1-1, 6.97)

Game Day Discussion: Liberty Bell Sports

The Phillies have the Dodgers where they want them. For LA, it's win or go home. The only thing the Dodgers have going for them is the day off on Tuesday to maybe shake off the heart breaking loss. The Phillies are 2-0 in game five's under Charlie Manuel.

Cole Hamels may not have been the same pitcher he was in the 2008 post season but he is still one of the best pitchers in the league and can close this series out. If the Phillies bats can rock Vicente Padilla early, this game and series will be in the bag. The faster the Phillies win this series, the more rest they will have going into the World Series so they can have a fully rested rotation ready for the Yankees/Angels.

Simp-Lee Amazing

The weather was cold but the bats were on fire. The Phillies battered and beat the Dodgers 11-0 in game three to take a 2-1 series lead in the NLCS. From the start of the game with a 1-2-3 top and a four-run bottom first inning to the 1-2-3 9th pitched by Chad Durbin that ended with a great snag by Carlos Ruiz, the Phillies dominated this game for 27 outs.

Ryan Howard drove in three runs tonight. With his two-run triple in the first, he has driven in a batter in all seven games this post season, a new MLB record, and is now one game shy of tying Lou Gherig's eight-game streak that spanned over multiple post seasons. Pedro Feliz also added a triple and Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino hit home runs to spark a potent Phillies offense that only managed a run on four hits during game two on Friday.

Cliff Lee was fantastic in his third start of the post season. He went eight shut out innings, allowing three hits and striking out 10. He tied Curt Schilling (1993) and Steve Carlton (1980) for the Phillies record with strikeouts in a single post season game. He also went 1-3 at the plate with a single and a run scored.

The offense got rolling early with Howard's two-run triple. Werth followed that up with a two-run home run that got the Phillies on the board early. Victorino capped off the fire works with his three-run homer in the eighth.

Manny Ramirez managed two hits out of Lee and Ronnie Belliard got the third.

Next Game: Monday in Philadelphia, 8:07 EST

Series: Phillies lead 2-1

Probables: LAD: Randy Wolf (0-0, 4.91); PHI: Joe Blanton (0-0, 4.91)

Game Day Discussion: Liberty Bell Sports

The Phillies have the momentum back in their favor and will look to go for the kill. Joe Blanton will be making his first post season start this year after pitching 3.2 innings of relief. Randy Wolf will look to get the Dodgers evened up versus his former team. Expect no love from the Wolf Pack in this one.

The Phillies are 4-0 in game four since Charlie Manuel took over. The last game four the Phillies played versus LA: Victorino hit a two-run homer to tie the game at five and then Matt Stairs hit a two-run homer later in the same inning to put the Phillies up for good, 7-5.

This game means a lot to both teams. It will either put the Phillies closer to going back to the World Series and the Dodgers on the brink of elimination or it will tie the series up for the Dodgers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

What To Do With Lidge

If you think Cole Hamels is pitching like crap, just look deep in the bull pen and you will see another 2008 monster leaving you scratching your head. We know what Hamels' problems are and it's the fact that he is lazy and hasn't had to be challenged all year. He'll be fine in October.

Now back to the problem. Brad Lidge has been absolutely terrible. He was Mr. Perfect. He went 41/41 in the season and 7/7 in the playoffs. This year, Lidge has looked more like Billy Wagner of 2008. In 53 appearances and 46.2 innings, Lidge has blown nine saves and boasts an ERA of 7.33 and a WHIP of 1.80.

Last night was just another example of his wheels falling off his bus. After the Phillies fought back to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the ninth, Lidge surrenders a hit and an error allows the tying run to score. Then he gets rattled so bad that he gave up a two-run walk-off homer to a rookie who doesn't hit for power.

So what do we do with Lidge? Before you think it, you can not put him in the minors unless he is injured. There is a waivers system and he can get picked up. Now he does have knee problems but he is unwilling to admit that he is hurt.

You also have guys in your system as options. Ryan Madson tried his hand at closing earlier this year and failed at it, blowing a pair of saves and took a while to shake the nerves when Lidge came back. You also have Chan Ho Park, who has been their best reliever but you don't want to move him from his comfortable role as long reliever. Newly demoted Jamie Moyer? Not if you want to see 81 MPH fastballs leave the yard. A healthy Romero? See Park.

So what does that leave us with then? Well with a hungry Brett Myers rehabbing in the minors, he looks to be ready by mid-September. He will most likely bolster the bull pen and I can really see him closing games in the playoffs.

Here is why:
He's in his contract year and if teams see him come back with fire in his belly, they will show interest in him. He could also try to impress the Phillies as with his return next year, they could have the best rotation in baseball. Imagine Cliff Lee, Hamels, Joe Blanton, JA Happ, and Myers in a 5-man rotation.

Another reason why Myers could close is how well he pitched in 2007 as a closer. He went 5-5 with a 2.87 ERA. He saved 21/24 games including the game where the Phillies clinched their first division title and playoff appearance in 14 years.

Myers has the mentality to be an effective closer. He also has the stuff. His fastball is hitting the low-mid 90's and he has a really good curveball, more effective than Lidge's current slider. Move Lidge to a different spot in the pen or DL him for the season while Myers takes the reigns and helps this team repeat. Lidge will only hinder this team in the long run. We love you Lidgey-poo but not this year.

Bringing the Broom Sticks and Boom Sticks

The Phillies did a little cleaning as the swept the Diamondbacks to continue their tear and keep a hold of the NL East lead. The Phillies starting pitching continued to mow down opponents and the bats have awoken from their sleep. Phillies pitchers did not surrender a walk all series and also had six hits, two apiece for Jamie Moyer, Cliff Lee, and Joe Blanton.

Tuesday - Phillies won 5-1: Pedro Martinez got the start and pitched three good innings and then the clouds opened up. Moyer got the ball and pitched six scoreless, allowing only two walks. "You never know what you'll get when you put two old goats out there," said Martinez.

Wednesday - Phillies won 8-1: Lee pitched a complete game, allowing two hits and an unearned run and struck out 11. Jayson Werth hit two homers and Ryan Howard and Chase Utley each hit a long ball.

Thursday - Phillies won 12-3: Blanton pitched another quality start as he went eight innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits. He struck out four. Howard, Werth, and Carlos Ruiz all went deep.

Series MVP's:

Cliff Lee - CG, R, 0 ER, 2 H, 11 K's; Batting: 2-4, run scored

Jayson Werth - 7-12, 6 R, 2B, 4 HR, 6 RBI

Jamie Moyer - 6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 5 K's; Batting: 2-3

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (69-49; 37-20 on road) @ New York Mets (56-65; 33-29 at home)

Meet the lowly Mets. The Phillies lead the series 6-4 and should be able to really take control after this four-game series. The Phillies have won eight of their last nine as well. The Mets are continuing on their downward spiral as they sit 14.5 games behind the Phillies.

If you look at the Mets line up, you will scratch your head at the names in it. No David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran, or Carlos Delgado. They will also get to miss Johan Santana as he pitched Thursday, earning a quality start but a loss thanks to no offense.

The Phillies are first in the NL in runs scored while in 11th in team batting average. The Mets are actually second in NL batting average but are 11th in scoring. The Phillies are climbing in pitching, sitting eighth in ERA while the Mets are 11th.

This should be a cake series for the Phillies. They will win atleast three of four or possible sweep. Winning this series will give them a lot of room to work with while the Marlins and Braves struggle to keep up.

Pitching Probables:

Friday: PHI: Hamels (7-7, 4.69), NYM: Pelfrey (8-8, 4.75)

Saturday: PHI: Happ (9-2, 2.66), NYM: Redding (1-4, 6.53)

Sunday: PHI: Martinez, P (1-0, 4.50), NYM: Perez, O (3-3, 6.06)

Monday: PHI: Lee, Cl (11-9, 2.72), NYM: Parnell (3-5, 4.74)

The Incredible Cliff Lee

I knew the Cliff Lee trade was a brilliant move but I wasn't fully impressed yet. Sure he tore it up his first three games and I got to see it on TV but my perception changed last night.

I went to the Phillies game last night, my eighth of the season, and I was lucky enough to see Lee pitch live. That changed everything. He worked fast, efficient, and got the job done as the Phillies won 8-1 over Arizona. The game was over in two and a half hours. He had a perfect game through three and lost the no-hitter in the sixth with one out to a pinch hitter. He only allowed one more hit after that as he struck out 11 batters, giving up one run and two hits to earn his fourth win as a Phillie.

He does something else that you would expect from an ace: get the crowd behind him. My heart was pounding watching him pitch. I was on the edge of my seat with every strike. After he gave up that first hit, the place stood up and applauded. It was crazy. The crowd was basically telling him "Okay, that was pretty cool. Now go after these guys and finish the job."

He has been scary his four starts as a Phillie. He's 4-0 with a 0.82 ERA. He has allowed only 18 hits and six walks in 33 innings and has struck out 34. His opponents batting average is .161. If anyone is still crying that the Phillies didn't trade for Roy Halladay, you're a lost cause.

From Todd Zolecki's article:

"He's a for-real ace," Werth said. "He's that type of guy. He's a shutdown guy. He can go out and control a game. Look what he's done since he's been here. That's pretty remarkable. But that's the kind of stuff he brings to table. You can't expect a guy to do that every time out, but so far, the stuff he's offering is definitely different than what guys are used to seeing. At least it looks that way to me. You get a run on the board for a guy like that, you're in pretty good shape."

This guy is the reason the Phillies can repeat. He has picked up tremendously for the slack of Cole Hamels. If Hamels figures himself out and you throw in Joe Blanton and JA Happ's success to make a four-man playoff rotation, there is no reason at all to say the Phillies won't repeat as World Champions.

Marlins Sweep Phillies

I am extremely frustrated at watching this Phillies team play as of late. Three rants to be had on this team after watching their performance versus Florida (or lack there of).

Cole Hamels is a sissy:

If there is anyone out their that has no heart, it's Cole Hamels. He has been a disgrace to watch on the mound and it can be said that all Philly fans are tired of his approach to each game this year. I am in no way saying he is a bad pitcher but this year it seems that he has been lazy and shown no will to win.

Phillies Nation had a post on him just being unlucky. I call BS on that as this is just Hamels not being good. He is showing no command of his change up or his fastball and his curveball is a joke. He knows that pitch sucks but he shows no signs of improving it. Ace's can not be two-pitch guys. Thank God for Cliff Lee or this season could be in serious jeopardy.

Offensive Inconsistency:

After a torrid July, the bats have officially died. With the exception of Jimmy Rollins, no one has shown any consistent run support. They strand runners and they don't hit with runners in scoring position.

Ryan Howard is awful. He hasn't homered since July 27. Chase Utley is batting .148 in August with one extra base hit (2B). Shane Victorino is also struggling with his .227 average for the month.

Raul Ibanez's lack of support:

Don't get me wrong, he's had plenty of hits. He just isn't driving anyone in. This does have something to do with Utley and Howard's struggles but he's not bringing guys home. He only has one RBI since July 28.

It's about time for another behind-closed-doors meeting where there is a lot of hollering from Uncle Chollie. This is his team and he has to tell his team that in order to win, they have to straighten their crap out.

Friday - Marlins win 3-2: Ricky Nolasco out pitched the steady Joe Blanton as the Phillies wasted another quality start by Big Joe. The only offense for the Phillies came from Ben Francisco's two run homer, his first as a Phillie and 11th of the year.

Saturday - Marlins win 6-4: Hamels gave up a pair of homers including four runs in 5.1 IP. Howard went 4-4 with two doubles.

Sunday - Marlins win 12-3: This was just an ugly game. The Phillies went up 1-0 and it all fell apart after that. Moyer pitched okay, giving up three runs, two earned, in five innings. He gave up 11 hits and a walk as well, throwing 97 pitches. Rodrigo Lopez was destroyed for six runs in .2 IP. Pedro Feliz hit a two run homer.

Series MVP's:

No one. I'm not even going to put forth the effort for Florida's players.

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (61-48; 32-19 on road) @ Chicago Cubs (58-51; 33-19 at home)

The Phillies lead the series 2-1 after playing the Cubs a few weeks ago. The Cubs, much like the Phillies, have been playing some inconsistent baseball, allowing the Cardinals to make some room in the Central standings.

The Cubs offense has still been struggling as they are 14th in average in the league while the Phillies are 8th. The Cubs are also 10th in runs scored while the Phillies still have first in hand. Chicago's 3.83 team ERA is 5th in the league while the Phillies are 11th.

The Phillies are off tomorrow, a great time for Charlie Manuel to close the doors and sit his team down. Hopefully the Phillies will wake up in time to prepare them for the real late season run that will lead into the post season. They match up well in the pitching category so we shall see if the offense shows up.

Pitching Probables:

Tuesday - Happ (8-2, 2.74) vs Harden (7-7, 4.41)

Wednesday - Lee (9-9, 2.95) vs Marshall (3-7, 3.93)

Thursday - Blanton (7-6, 4.02) vs Dempster (6-5, 4.04)

Rotation Battle Pt. 2

The Phillies are in a dilemma that most teams dreamed they were in. They will soon have six very capable starting pitchers once Pedro Martinez is ready. But who will go when he is ready? The Phillies already said that they didn't sign Martinez to pitch in the bull pen. So he is almost locked in.

Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, and Joe Blanton are locked in. That leaves Jamie Moyer (who got shelled again last night), JA Happ (who pitches tonight to make his bid to remain in the rotation), and Martinez to battle for the last two spots. Rodrigo Lopez already lost his spot and has joined Chan Ho Park as the other long reliever in the pen.

So the Phillies are stuck. Right now, Moyer seems to be the obvious choice to dump due to his ineffectiveness all season. He has only pitched seven innings twice all year. He has been the bull pen killer. But he is not the kind of pitcher who could be effective in a relief role due to his style of pitching.

Happ has been proven to be human as of late but is still pitching pretty well. He can tighten up his spot in the rotation with a good outing tonight. If he gets beat up by the Rockies, the rumors of him being sent back to the bull pen could be true. The Phillies know he can start but how well he has pitched in the pen this season prior to starting can really help them boost a bull pen that has struggled tremendously all season.

One could only imagine what the Phillies would be going through next month if Brett Myers is ready. The bull pen would be the likely spot for Myers, who is in the last year of his contract. He may become the new bridge to Brad Lidge and could close if something happens to Lidge. His chances at starting are very slim and deciding to do so could cost the Phillies games.