Phils Take Three In Final Mets Series

This was the last series the Phillies would play versus the Mets and they made the most of it, winning three of four. Ryan Madson blew Saturday's game to prevent the sweep. Overall, the Phillies taking three from a poor team allowed them to keep pace in the NL East as the Marlins and Braves have not given up their fight. The magic number sits at 14.

Friday - Phillies won 4-2: Cole Hamels continued his dominant run as he went 6.2 innings, allowing a run on seven hits and a walk, striking out six. Shane Victorino had three doubles.

Saturday - Mets won 10-9: The Mets jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead but the Phillies scored big, being up 9-5 up to the eighth inning. Brett Myers surrendered three runs in that inning and then Madson gave up a two-out single and then a two-run homer to David Wright to blow the lead and eventually the game.

Sunday #1 - Phillies won 5-4: Ben Francisco and Victorino had home runs each and Kyle Kendrick pitched excellent in his first start since last year, going 7.1 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk, striking out three. Brad Lidge came in with a three run lead and allowed two, barely getting his 29th save.

Sunday #2 - Phillies won 1-0: Pedro Martinez pitched his finest outing as a Phillie, going eight innings for the first time in about three years. He allowed no runs, six hits, two walks, and struck out seven. The Phillies got the only run in the first when Jimmy Rollins scored off a Chase Utley single. Madson got the save.

Series MVP's:

Shane Victorino: 6-15, 2 runs, 3 doubles, HR, 2 RBI

Chase Utley: 5-13, 3 runs, 2 doubles, HR, 3 RBI

Pedro Martinez: 8 IP, 0 ER/R, 6 H, 2 BB, 7 K

Next Series: Washington Nationals (50-93, 21-50 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (82-60, 39-32 at home)

Pitching Probables:

Tuesday: WSH: Mock (3-7, 5.75), PHI: Lee, Cl (13-11, 3.13)

Wednesday: WSH: Hernandez, L (8-10, 5.30), PHI: Blanton (9-7, 4.11)
Thursday: WSH: Martin, J (4-4, 4.29), PHI: Hamels (9-9, 4.21)

Phillies lead the series 12-3 and this is the final match up between the two teams. The Nationals are the worst team in baseball and the Phillies have to use this series to pull away further in the division. There really is no key game to this series. Just beat the Nationals is all they need to focus on.

Washington has actually had a higher team batting average than the Phillies, sitting in 4th place in the NL while the Phillies are 10th. In the runs scored department, the Phillies have climbed to being only two runs shy of retaking their NL lead and the Nats are 7th. The Phillies pitching has been much better, resting at 7th in ERA while the Nats are last in the NL in ERA .

This should be a sweep and it will be a sweep. This is the time where the Phillies should not be worrying about their closer problems and just put teams away.

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.

Nats Recap, Mets Preview

I am extremely busy this weekend and therefor can't put my normal effort into this post. I will just recap the Nats series in brief, give out my awards, and then preview the Mets series in brief. Sorry people.

Tuesday - Phillies won 5-3: Raul Ibanez hit two solo homers and Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, and Carlos Ruiz each had one.

Wednesday - Phillies won 6-5: Werth's two run homer in the eighth earned Cliff Lee his 13th win of the season.

Thursday - Phillies lost 8-7: Down 8-2 in the ninth, Matt Stairs snapped his 0-30 streak with a grand slam. With one out, the Phillies managed another run and had runners on first and third for Ryan Howard but he hit into a game ending double play.

Series MVP's:
Raul Ibanez: 5-13, 3 runs, 2 doubles, 2 homers, 3 RBI's
Jayson Werth: 4-12, 4 runs, 2 homers, 3 RBI's
Shane Victorino: 5-14, run, 2 doubles, RBI

Next Series: New York Mets (62-78, 26-42 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (79-59, 36-31 at home)

Pitching Probables:
Friday: NYM: Figueroa, N (2-4, 4.74), PHI: Hamels (8-9, 4.32)
Saturday: NYM: Pelfrey (10-10, 4.83), PHI: Moyer (12-9, 4.98)
Sunday #1: NYM: Maine (5-4, 4.52), PHI: Kendrick, K (0-1, 5.06)
Sunday #2: NYM: Redding (2-5, 5.78), PHI: Martinez, P (4-0, 3.64)

Four-Game Series. Phillies lead series 9-5.

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)

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."

Thank God For Pitch Counts

The Mets thankfully had Tim Redding on a pitch count or else the Phillies probably would have never had that sixth inning. The Mets took Redding out after five innings of one-hit shut out ball. They bring in Pat Misch who give walked Shane Victorino and then gave up a homer to Chase Utley. That right field short-porch in Citi Field has become Utley's Alley as he has killed the Mets there all year.

The Phillies tacked on another run in that inning with back-to-back doubles by Raul Ibanez and Pedro Feliz and then got another off of Carlos Ruiz's RBI single in the eighth to make a final score of 4-1.

JA Happ earned the win, going seven innings and allowing one run on eight hits and two walks. He got himself in and out of trouble as game as he stranded seven runners. Brad Lidge pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with two strike outs to earn his 24th save.

Oh the wedding was nice by the way but I wound up watching the entire game inside where it was air conditioned.

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)

Phils Plunder Pirates

The Phillies earned a huge sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates to cap an incredible 9-1 home stand, erasing the memories of that 1-8 home stand in June. They started the stand with a sweep of the Mets and then won three of four versus Cincinnati. Pending today's games for the Marlins, Braves, and Mets the Phillies are currently 4.5, 5.5, and 7 games in first place respectively.

The Pirates came into this series on a cold spell and the Phillies were hot, playing teams they should and did beat up. The Pirates became the next victim of that Philly Butt Whuppin'. I said a few weeks ago that I am not worried about the Phillies because they heat up in July and they proceeded to make me look good. With the All Star break finally here, I will look back at the first half of the season probably Monday or Tuesday.

Friday - Phillies won 3-2: Shane Victorino provided the spark with three hits and a pair of doubles. The Pirates got their only two runs on solo homers off Joe Blanton and Brad Lidge. Blanton 7.1 innings, giving up a run on four hits, one walk, and striking out six. Lidge pitched .2 innings to earn his 18th save.

Saturday - Phillies won 8-7: Cole Hamels got roughed up in his outing, lasting six innings and giving up five runs on seven hits. The Pirates managed to hit three homers off the struggling ace. After falling early 5-0, the Phillies fought back to make it 5-3. Chad Durbin surrendered two runs in his very short outing as the Pirates made it 7-3.

In the bottom of the ninth, Matt Stairs hit a pinch hit homer to start things off. Then with one out and two men on, Ryan Howard hit a three-run bomb to left center to tie it up at seven. Ibanez hit the next pitch over the center field wall on a bounce for a ground-rule double, Jayson Werth walked, and Pedro Feliz hit an infield single off Mat Capps rear. Paul Bako stepped in and hit a walk off single to win the game.

Sunday - Phillies won 5-1: After scoring five runs in the ninth the night before, the Phillies got five quick runs thanks to a Howard sac fly and Feliz grand slam in the first inning. JA Happ pitched tremendous ball, going seven strong and giving up a run on four hits and two walks, striking our four.

Series MVP's:

Ryan Howard (PHI): 3-7, HR, 4 RBI's

JA Happ (PHI): 7 IP, ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Next Up: The All Star Break. I will go into more detail about the first half and the ASG tomorrow and Monday. Have a good few days and don't forget to watch the dingers by Howard on Monday in the derby and our five all stars on Tuesday.

Phillies Close to Deal with Pedro

Todd Zolecki wrote that the Phillies are down in the Dominican Republic and they are nearing a deal with Pedro Martinez, reports say. Ruben Amaro Jr. has declined comment. The report came from this site, which unfortunately is in Spanish. It reports that he signed a $4 million deal but that's not know if it's with incentives or for how many years.

"We are trying to do what we can to add to our club, and if we feel at the end of the day Pedro is going to help us than we'll make a run at him," Amaro said Wednesday.

So what does Martinez bring to the table? Well if he is the only move the Phillies plan on making then Amaro is a complete jack ass. If Martinez is going to be the Phillies fifth starter and JA Happ will be the prime piece in a trade for Roy Halladay, then Amaro is a genius. A move like this is leaning hard on the latter and with Toronto scouting Happ and having interest in Jason Donald can only lead to good news.

Martinez is 214-99 lifetime with a 2.91 ERA. He last pitched in 2008 with the Mets, going 5-6 with a 5.61 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 80 K's in 20 starts (109 innings).

Independance Day Massacre

This was the perfect weekend for a Phillies fan. In the midst of the barbecuing, drinking, partying, and spending time with the family and friends on America's birthday, the Phillies invited the Mets to the Bank for a home-cooked butt-whupping.

The Phillies swept the Mets, their first sweep since June 1-3 and first home series win since they swept the Nationals on May 29-31. It was complete pitching dominance as they held the Mets to a total of three runs all series. The offense came alive when needed and the pitching was absolutely incredible. It was the exact opposite of the series prior in Atlanta where the pitching sucked, the offense disappeared and the bull pen couldn't keep games close.

Friday - Phillies won 7-2: Rodrigo Lopez made his season debut, going 6 1/2 innings and surrendering his two runs in the seventh. He allowed six hits and a walk and struck out four. Jimmy Rollins sparked the offense with a pair of doubles and two RBI's. Chase Utley also had two hits and two RBI's and Jayson Werth provided the fireworks with a solo homer.

Saturday - Phillies won 4-1: It was a very happy 4th of July as Jamie Moyer dominated the Mets AAA offense in his 600th career start. Moyer went 6 1/3 as he gave up a run on five hits and a walk. He also sat down one batter en route to his team high seventh win of the season. Rollins again helped provide some offense with a two-run double in the fourth. Brad Lidge notched the save.

Sunday - Phillies won 2-0: There was no hang over for the Phillies as Joe Blanton took the mound and pitched 7 1/3 shut out ball. He allowed four hits and three walks with five strike outs. The two solo homers by Rollins and Utley were all Blanton needed. Lidge came in the ninth and struck out the side to record his 16th save.

It's a proven fact that when Rollins is hitting and getting on base, the offense will follow suit. He is the spark plug this team needs him to be. He's a risk/reward kind of player which can be extremely frustrating or extremely pleasing. I will admit that I was quick to jump on Rollins but he is not out of the hole yet. I still think that when he is not producing, he needs to be dropped. Hopefully he continues to tear up offenses and sets himself up for another magical second half much like his MVP season in 2007.

Series MVP's:

Jimmy Rollins (PHI): 5-11; 2 runs; 3 doubles; homer; 3 walks; .571 OBP

Brad Lidge (PHI): 2 innings; 0 hits; 5 K's; 2 saves

Starting Pitching (PHI): 20 innings; 3 runs; 15 hits; 11 K's

Next Series: Cincinnatti Reds (40-40; 20-20 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (42-37; 16-22 at home)

Phillies lead series 2-1. The Reds are a weird team. They may be playing .500 ball but that doesn't necessarily make them a good baseball team. Phillies should not lose this series, especially after the series they played versus the Mets. I expect three wins coming out of this series to go into the final series of the first half. A sweep would be fantastic and should hopefully give them a cushion in the division standings.

Currently the Marlins are still breathing down the Phillies necks, only a game out of first. The sweep of the Mets put them four games ahead. As the temperature heats up, so should the Phillies.

Pitching Probables:

7/6: Cueto (8-4, 2.69), Hamels (4-5, 4.98)

7/7: Harang (5-8, 3.86), Happ (5-0, 2.96)

7/8: Bailey, H (1-0, 5.94), Lopez, Ro (1-0, 2.84)

7/9: Owings (6-8, 4.48), Moyer (7-6, 5.72)

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July to all of you. I want to thank those who have read my blog and I hope you continue to read it. As the All Star break nears and the second half of the season gets underway, things will heat up and get a bit more exciting. Don't expect the Phillies struggles to last too long as they tend to tear up the second half.

So grill up some burgers, dogs, sausage and peppers, or whatever you can get your hands on. Drink some beer, play some horse shoes, and enjoy the family until 7 PM when the fire works begin at Citizens Bank Park as the Phillies will take on the Mets.

Go Phils and Happy Birthday America.

Swept Again

Comcast Sportsnet had a great poll up but they missed one option. The question: what is the cause of the Phillies' struggles? A. bull pen inconsistency; B. Cole Hamels' struggles; C. Raul Ibanez's absence; D. Jimmy Rollins' struggles. I would love to add: E. All of the above.

The Phillies are 4-14 in their last 18 games. In those last 18, the bull pen has blown countless saves and pitched absolutely terrible. In games when the Phillies would be trailing only a run or two, the bull pen would surrender multiple runs to put the game out of reach. A part of this is due to the starters not going at least seven innings and that is completely draining the bull pen.

Ryan Madson has been the most dreadful of relievers. Since June 16, he's given up nine runs in seven appearances (6 2/3 innings). He has blown three saves. Madson isn't the only pitcher struggling as Hamels, who hasn't won a game since June 4, has been terrible. In his last five starts, he's 0-3, averaging less than six innings a start. He's given up 19 runs on 44 hits and 8 walks in 27 2/3 IP. Those are not numbers you want from your ace.

After being benched for four games, Rollins came back to go hitless in the first two games of the Braves series until Thursday night when he had two hits, snapping an 0-28 drought.

Tuesday: In a seesaw battle, the Phillies blew a 4-3 lead in the eighth and gave up a walk off hit in the 10th. Martin Prado capped his 4-5, four RBI game with the winning hit as the Braves won 5-4.

Wednesday: Jair Jurrjens took a no hitter into the seventh as the Braves dominated the Phillies 11-1.

Thursday: After tying the game up at two in the sixth, the Braves scored three in the eighth off Madson to win 5-2. JA Happ went seven strong, giving up two runs on seven hits and two walks and striking out five.

Series MVP's:

ATL: Martin Prado: 7-12, 4 runs, 2 doubles, HR, 6 RBI

ATL: Matt Diaz: 7-11, 4 runs, double, HR, 3 RBI, SB

Next Series: New York Mets (39-39; 17-22 on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (39-37; 13-22 at home)

We all know how big the Mets series is. It's the start of their final 10 game home stand going into the All Star Break. The Mets lead the series 4-3 but the Phillies have won the previous two. The Phillies can win the series still but at this rate, I am afraid of a sweep or series loss. Luckily Johan Santana and Francisco Rodriguez have hit some rough patches. I have nothing more to say.

Pitching Probables:

7/3: Hernandez, L (5-3, 4.04), Lopez, Ro (0-0, -.--)

7/4: Nieve (3-1, 2.25), Moyer (6-6, 6.05)

7/5: Santana, J (9-6, 3.34), Blanton (4-4, 5.08)

Happ On Mound Tonight

Tonight: Happ (5-0, 3.00), Vazquez, J (5-7, 3.04)

After dropping the first two games of the series to the Braves, the Phillies will try to rebound and get a win going into the crucial 10-game home stand starting versus New York. At this rate, the Phillies could easily be in second by the break or probably third. The Marlins are only 1/2 game back where as the Mets are only two games out.

The Phils heat up after the All Star break but with the pitching being as terrible as it has been and the inconsistency of the offense, this special run could be over very quick. I hate to play the role of the pessimist but this team is showing some serious signs of being a mediocre team. Last year's team was legitimately good. But when you lose your second best pitcher to injury (Brett Myers) or when age catches up to your leader in wins (Jamie Moyer), things tend to change.

Also injuries have plagued the Phillies bull pen with Brad Lidge going down and not being himself all year. He has only converted 14 of 20 saves and has an ERA of 7.57. Clay Condrey will be joining the Phillies soon as he also went on the DL. He probably has been their best reliever. Scott Eyre should be back this weekend. Raul Ibanez, the team's best offensive weapon this year, should also be back during the series versus the Mets.

I am getting blue in the face constantly saying this. Jimmy Rollins is the worst lead off hitter in the National League. He is hitless in 27 AB's and is swinging like a blind-folded kid hitting a piñata. The last time he had a hitless streak that bad was in 2002 at 25 AB's. I've said it before and I will say it again: "Lead Off Shane!"

Here are Jimmy's sweltering numbers on the season in 70 games:

AB: 307

R: 41

H: 63

2B: 15

3B: 1

HR: 6

RBI: 27

Avg: .205

OBP: .250

News 6/30

J-Roll returns to lead off: article

Jimmy Rollins is back in the lead off spot tonight.

Charlie Manuel is freakin' stubborn. Your offense has found a spark with the absence of Rollins. Even though Shane Victorino has struggled leading off (.133 AVG; .235 OBP in four games), I would have still kept him there.

"I felt it was very important to let him sit over there and kind of get a clear mind when I put him back there so he's fresh," Manuel said. "He's starting all over."

Utley, Ibanez All Star bound: article

It looks as if the Phillies will have two starters in this year's mid summer classic in St. Louis. Chase Utley is blowing away all second basemen in voting while Raul Ibanez still holds his outfield lead and it is 99.99% unlikely he will fall out of the top three vote getters to earn a starting spot.

Rollins is now in second (thank God), Pedro Feliz and Carlos Ruiz are in fourth in their positions and Victorino is in fifth in outfielders. All four of them likely will not be playing in the All Star game unless Manuel, who is managing along with Joe Torre and Tony LaRussa decide to take on Ruiz as a back up catcher. He is very deserving of an all star bid.

Ibanez probably missing Mets series: article

It is doubtful whether or not Ibanez will be back by Friday's game versus the Mets. He is to be re-evaluated by the Phillies trainers. Ibanez injured his groin 2 weeks ago and even though he's feeling better, the Phillies want to take another look before they start him on his rehab.

Romero could face battery charges: article

If someone gets in your face and accuses you of using steroids, you would shove him out of your face too. The fan was upset JC Romero wouldn't sign anything so he started to curse at Romero and said something along the lines of "how about you go get me some juice," in reference to his 50-game suspension. Romero then hit him with an opened-hand.

"Remember, this is a simple battery," (George) Kajtsa said. "No weapon was used. There were no injuries to the victim whatsoever, except as he says in the report he was embarrassed because it happened in front of other fans and his family.

"This is a very minor incident so the state's attorney will probably concentrate on more serious matters, but it will be up to the state's attorney to make the determination."

What Kajtsa basically means is that the fan is a little bitch and he got what he deserved. Embarrased in front of strangers and family? What was he attemptiong to do by being vulger to another person. Athletes are people too so this nothing more than the fan being an asshole to someone on the street and getting bitch slapped.

Phils Take Series in Toronto

It took 15 games, five series, and 17 days for the Phillies to finally take a series from an American League team during this stretch of inter league play. After dropping the first game to Toronto, the Phillies piled on two big victories to win consecutive games for the first time since the beginning of June.

It started out rocky like the previous four but the Phillies took control in the second game and sparked their offense when they needed it in the rubber match. After a terrible debut in the first game, Brad Lidge notched his first save since June 1. He is 14-20 now.

Friday: It was just one of those days. Hamels got whacked around a bit and then ejected, Chan Ho Park left with a right knee contusion, and the offense had to break up a no hitter in the seventh and couldn't score until the ninth off Jayson Werth's sacrifice fly. Lidge made his return, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks in 1/3 inning pitched. The Phillies lost this one 6-1.

Saturday: Happy birthday to me as JA Happ earned a complete game shut out, only allowing five hits, no walks, and striking out four. Werth ripped two homers, going 4-4 with three runs and three RBI's. Pedro Feliz also added a homer and two RBI's and Ryan Howard had three hits. Phillies won 10-0.

Sunday: Toronto jumped out to a 4-1 lead but in the fourth, the Phillies piled on four runs to take the permanent lead, 5-4, and wound up winning on that same score. Chase Utley had a double and triple, driving in two runs. Utley's triple in the fourth drove in the tying and go ahead runs.

Before I cap off the series recap, I want to know where Jimmy Rollins is. I think he has been punished enough for sucking. It's time to put him back in the line up in the sixth spot. Rollins was benched after his June 24 start and hasn't played in four games. I think Charlie Manuel let him know that he needs to find himself and I hope that when he makes his return, he'll be a smarter hitter.

Series MVP's:

PHI: Jayson Werth: 6-8, 4 runs, double, 2 home runs, 4 RBI's, 5 walks , .846 OBP

PHI: JA Happ : 9 IP, 0 runs, 5 hits, 0 BB, 4 K's

TOR: Aaron Hill: 4-14, 3 runs, 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 4 RBI's

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (39-34; 26-12 on road) @ Atlanta Braves (35-40; 18-21 at home)

The Phillies will continue their road trip after their Monday off as they travel to Atlanta. The are going into July, the month they usually heat up. With a 2 1/2 game lead on the Mets, this is when the Phillies will hopefully pull ahead for good. After the Braves series, they come home for 10 games that start versus the Mets.

Atlanta leads the season series 4-2 but the Braves have been struggling as of late. The Phillies hopefully seemed to have found their niche for a bit. The offense is still a bit inconsistent but they have always figured out how to put up runs in bunches on a regular basis.

Pitching Probables:

6/30: Blanton (4-4, 5.06), Lowe, D (7-6, 4.53)

7/1: Hamels (4-4, 4.44), Jurrjens (5-6, 2.93)

7/2: Carrasco (0-0, 0.00 ERA), Vazquez (5-7, 3.04 ERA)

Phillies Lose 4th Straight Series

This day totally sucked (outside of my softball team kicking some serious butt to go 7-0). We lost the King of Pop and Ferrah Fawcett and now the Phillies lost their fourth straight series. They are just "Bad." They're no "Thriller" on the field. This skid is starting to get "Dangerous" as the Mets won again today to improve to 1/2 game out of first. OK I'm done with the MJ puns. The Phillies lost the series 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tuesday: Coming off their 1-8 home stand, the Phillies offense exploded and Jamie Moyer pitched stellar en route to a 10-1 victory. John Mayberry Jr. and Chase Utley hit homers and Moyer only allowed a solo homer to Pat Burrell.

Wednesday: JC Romero and Chan Ho Park got beat up when the Phillies were only down 2-1 in the eighth. But I won't put the blame on them as the offense completely disappeared despite Jayson Werth's solo homer. Phillies lost 7-1.

Thursday: The first inning looked like the Phillies would bust out of their slump when they plated four to start the game. But that was it as Antonio Bastardo got shelled, giving up six runs on seven hit before leaving the game in the fourth inning with a strained shoulder (severity unknown). Phillies lost 10-4.

This series was just plain ugly. My confidence was restored for one whole game and one whole inning on Thursday. The offense was just dead and the pitching was shotty. Despite great starts by Moyer and Joe Blanton, the offense could not support. I really have nothing more to say because I would just be redundant.

Series MVP's:

Phillies: Joe Blanton: 7 IP, 6 Hits, 2 runs, 10 K's

Rays: Carl Crawford: 5-11, 2 runs, 3 doubles, 2 RBI's

Rays: Matt Garza: 8 IP, 3 hits, run, 7 K's

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (37-33; 24-11 on road) @ Toronto Blue Jays (40-34; 23-14 at home)

Jays lead series 3-0. The Phillies suck. The Jays are playing solid ball. The Phillies are still good on the road and the offense is also showing some life in areas. I always expect a series win with this team but right now, I'm not too sure. With the Mets 1/2 a game back, I am afraid the Phillies may be the 2nd place team they are playing out to be. Pick up your game or the magic will run out.

Probables:

6/26: Hamels (4-3, 4.24), Romero, R (4-3, 3.59)

6/27: Happ (4-0, 3.47), Mills (0-0, 9.82)

6/28: Moyer (5-6, 5.97), Tallet (5-4, 4.36)

Road Is Where the Heart Is

The Phillies busted out of their six-game losing skid with a six run first inning off phenom pitcher David Price. They then roughed him up in the fifth for four more runs and ultimately beat the Rays 10-1.

Chase Utley got the scoring going with a two-run double in the first which was followed up by Ryan Howard's RBI double. Later in the innings, John Mayberry Jr. crushed a three-run homer to left field. Jamie Moyer pitched six innings, giving up a run on five hits and three walks and striking out four.

The win snapped an ugly drought during a 1-8 home stand. The 10 runs was also the most Philadelphia had scored since they put up 11 versus Boston on June 14. In other news, the Mets got shut out 3-0 to St. Louis, allowing Philadelphia to increase their lead to 2 1/2 games. The Mets could only muster two hits.

The Phillies must find comfort in the grey jerseys or they just have been feeling a bit pressured in the constantly packed CBP after winning their championship. Right now they are boasting a 24-9 record on the road (13-22 at home). They need to settle down and get comfortable at home. You can't rely on the road constantly as your scape goat. If this team starts winning at home, they will be unstoppable.

No Updates Today

Another Saturday where I'll be gone all day and what else is new... it's raining here in Atlantic City (or the entire east coast so the Phillies game has a shot at being in danger). I'll be working from 12-5 then hitting up the Jimmy Buffett concert in Camden (at least my seats are in the covered area).

So the Phillies are currently on a four game losing streak and with a Mets win, are now only two games up. This is f*cking sad. 3-7 versus the AL and 13-20 at home. At HOME! How is a first place team seven games under .500 at home? Luckily they are 23-9 on the road. I mean the Phillies are pretty healthy compared to the Mets, who are putting up a AAA baseball team at the moment, but are barely holding them off.

The Phils just got swept by the Blue Jays and got dominated 7-2 last night versus Baltimore. Granted he gave up four runs, Antonio Bastardo's seven-inning effort was the lone bright spot. Bastardo only gave up five hits and struck out five. Jack Taschner pitched the last two innings and gave up three runs to end any chance at a comeback for the Phillies. At least the cream of the bull pen was preserved.

The Phillies should hold a promotion at home: "Boo the Phillies Night." If we can convince the Phillies they're playing on the road, maybe they'll play better. This incompetence at home is really bugging me and the rest of the fans out there. If this doesn't right itself, the Mets will only get healthier and we'll be seeing a Philadelphia wild card race.

If the weather holds, the Phillies will play tonight at 7:05 ET.

MLB News 6/13/09

Peavy out for month:

Well this could hurt the Phillies chances at trading for Jake Peavy. He will be out for a month with a strained tendon in his right ankle he sustained on June 8th. His injury occurred while he ran the bases.

The Phillies were seriously considering trading for Peavy, who originally refused to wave his no-trade clause due to Citizen's Bank Park not being pitcher-friendly. Not only does this hinder his value for the season for the Phillies but could also hinder his confidence. If he was fully healthy, he would have considered a trade to Philadelphia but with a possible return to pitching before the trade deadline, he may not have the confidence in his ankle if he were to move to a hitter's park in Philly. Peavy is a fly ball pitcher and could get shelled here as opposed to the spacious Petco Field.

Peavy is 6-6 with a 3.97 ERA and 92 strikeouts in 13 starts.

Castillo gets sympathy:

Boo hoo. Louis Castillo dropped a pop fly that would have ended the game for the Mets. Instead, the Yankees, who were trailing by one, scored two runners to earn the walk-off win. I laughed while reading this. Players were giving him sympathy and he lost sleep over it. Grow up, man. You made a mistake, life goes on.

Kendrick sent down, Escalona up:

This is what the Phillies should have originally done as Kyle Kendrick was sent back down to AAA (via Todd Zolecki's Twitter). In return, the Phillies brought up Sergio Escalona. Kendrick gave up three runs in his season debut in the 13th inning, costing the Phillies the game versus the Red Sox.

Mets Choke Away Series

It's like a reoccurring theme for the Mets. They have the Phillies right where they want them and then they fall flat on their face while the Phillies walk away laughing. From the 2007 collapse to last year's World Series run, the Mets could have easily taken a three-game sweep from the Phillies but instead, lost the series. It was an odd series as only one starter got the decision.

The Phillies starting pitching is still on it's dominating tear (despite Cole Hamels getting hit hard in the second game). The bull pen really picked itself up as the Mets' faltered once again versus Phillies. The offense struggled for the first six innings of each game and then exploded to over come the early deficit.

In the first game, JA Happ took the mound versus Johan Santana and both pitchers got whacked around. The Phillies were able to hit four homers off of Santana (three of them lefties) and Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez became the first pair of lefties to go back-to-back versus Santana.

After the Phillies took the 4-3 lead, the Mets put up two runs in the sixth, and added one in the seventh. Despite the Phillies getting one back in the eighth from Chase Utley's solo homer, the Mets held on to win 6-5 with Santana earning the win.

On Wednesday, Utley used his bat and Jayson Werth used his glove to beat the Mets. Utley tied the game up at one with his solo shot in the fourth but the Mets got a three-run inning in the bottom half off of Happ, his only hiccup of the game to take a 4-1 lead.

The Phillies then exploded with three runs to tie the game up. Both teams were scoreless all the way to the bottom of the 10th with the Mets threatening. With a runner on, David Wright hit a ball that looked like it would clear the gap in right center but instead was robbed with a diving catch by Werth to end the inning and save the game. Utley lead off the inning with another solo homer, his second of the night, to put the Phillies ahead for good. Ryan Madson pitched a clean 11th to earn his second save of the year, replacing the injured Brad Lidge.

Thursday's game had a similar scenario with a similar result. After the Phillies tied the game at three in the seventh, the game found itself going into extra innings once again. With runners on first and second in the top of the 10th, Ibanez ripped a homer into the Mets bullpen to take a commanding 6-3 lead that Ryan Madson closed out for his third save.

Series MVP: Utley (5-13, 4 runs, 5 hits, double, 2 homers, 5 RBI's)

Next Series: Red Sox (36-24; 15-16 on the road) vs. Phillies (35-23; 12-14 at home)

The Phillies are coming home for an American League East home stand (I'll be attending one game in each series and I'll post pictures from each) that is starting tonight versus the hot Boston Red Sox. They are riding a series sweep versus the Yankees and have had the Phillies number the past few years.

Probables:

6/12: Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.46) vs. Jon Lester (5-5, 5.09)

6/13: Antonio Bastardo (2-0, 2.45) vs. Daisuke Matsuzaka (1-4, 7.33)

6/14*: J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.98) vs. Josh Beckett (7-2, 3.77)

*attending