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.

It's All in the Cards

The red birds were left feeling blue after their little visit to Philly. After being swept by the Astros, the Cardinals came into this big series a little hungry. They even gained a big bat in Matt Holliday in a trade prior to the series. They also took command of game one, beating up JA Happ en route to an 8-1 victory. But that was it. The Cardinals awoke the angry beast known as the Phillies' offense and they completely dominated the Cards to win the next two games.

Friday - Cardinals won 8-1: The Cardinals finally solved the young phenom, JA Happ. He was pitching well until the sixth inning, where he saw his last action, giving up five runs in six innings pitched. Holliday made his presence known with a four-hit night.

Saturday - Phillies won 14-6: When Jimmy Rollins hits, everyone hits. J-Roll went 2-5 with a grand slam and Shane Victorino had a four-hit night as Rodrigo Lopez pitched a solid outing to give the Phillies the boost they needed to right the ship that sunk the previous night.

Sunday - Phillies won 9-2: The Phillies powered their way to a big win with four homers coming from Rollins, Victorino, Ryan Howard, and Raul Ibanez. Joe Blanton pitched a brilliant gem, going eight strong innings and allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk.

Series MVP's:

Shane Victorino: 8-13, 5 runs, double, homer, 3 RBI's

Joe Blanton: 8 IP, 7 H, BB, 2 ER, 6 K

Ryan Howard: 6-12, 2 runs, 2 doubles, homer, 5 RBI's

Next Series: Philadelphia Phillies (56-40, 29-15 on road) @ Arizona Diamondbacks (43-56, 23-31 at home)

This should be a cake series as the Diamondbacks pretty much stink. This is the first meeting of the season for the two teams. Much like San Diego, the D'Backs have only one real bright spot in Josh Upton, who's batting .296 with 18 homers. Mark Reynolds leads the team in homers with 26.

The Phillies are the best team on the road. The D'Backs are 14th in batting in the NL while the Phillies are 5th. As far as scoring, the Phillies own the top spot with Arizona at 6. Phillies are easily the better team. They should and will sweep.

Pitching Probables:

7/27: PHI: Moyer (9-7, 5.65), ARI: Garland (5-9, 4.41)

7/28: PHI: Hamels (6-5, 4.66), ARI: Haren (10-5, 2.14)

7/29: PHI: Happ (7-1, 2.97, ARI: Petit (0-5, 7.68)

Back From Hershey

Well I'm back from my adventure to Hershey Friday. Got to the park around 12:30, did a few rides until 3:30 when the clouds opened up on us. Ate, tailgated for the Dave Matthews Band concert, got the show's poster, then headed in to enjoy three hours of music. Then we journeyed home so I could work from three until ten.

So I get back and the two things that stick out the most to me were a murder in the parking lot during the game from a fight in McFadden's and some assclown with a laser pointer shining it on Albert Pujols of the Cardinals while Standing in the batter's box. I'm just dumb founded at some of the idiots that attend Phillies games. Read the articles because I'm too ashamed to go into detail.

Back to Work

The Phillies got back to work as they pounded the Padres with their bats, winning 9-4. Every starter got a hit for the Phillies except for Cole Hamels, who pitched a solid game minus a rough fourth inning where he gave up three runs. In that inning he also allowed a two-run homer to Kyle Blanks. Hamels (6-5) finished the game going seven innings and allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six.

Jayson Werth had the big game, going 3-5 with two doubles and an RBI while scoring twice. Pedro Feliz also added three hits and Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino had a pair. Chan Ho Park pitched the last 1 1/2 innings to finish it up.

The Phillies play St. Louis starting tomorrow.

Cards Are Next Up For Phillies

St. Louis Cardinals (55-46*; 25-25* on road) @ Philadelphia Phillies (53-39*; 24-24* at home)
*records prior to 7/23 games

I am going to write the series preview now and I'll write a brief on the tonight's game when it ends. But for now, I will set up the series starting tomorrow versus the St. Louis Cardinals. The Phillies have won 14 of their last 16 going into tonight's game versus San Diego and don't show any signs of cooling down. The Cardinals have lost three straight going into tonight's game. The Phillies lead the season series 2-0. All numbers talked about are prior to tonight's games.

The Cardinals feature the best player in baseball, Albert Pujols, along with an offense that's sixth in the NL in runs scored and 12th in average. The Phillies are first in runs scored and sixth in average. Pujols is tearing up the league with his .328 average, 34 homers, and 90 RBI's through 96 games.

The pitching is a different story. The Cardinals are fourth in the NL in ERA and fifth in fewest runs allowed. The Phillies are 13th in ERA and ninth in fewest runs allowed.

The Cardinals also have two of the league's best pitchers this year in Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter. Fortunately for the Phillies, they won't be seeing either of them this series. In fact, of the three pitchers the Phillies face, none of them impress or show any signs of being a threat outside of maybe Joel Piniero. For the Phillies, they have their three hottest guys on the mound. See probables at the bottom for pitchers, records, and ERA.

Overall, the Phillies are a better team but once again, the Cardinals have been carried by some steady offense including Pujols' tremendous play. Another series win is expected but I am going with the sweep.

Pitching Probables:
7/24: STL: Pineiro (8-9, 3.09), PHI: Happ (7-0, 2.68)
7/25: STL: Lohse (4-6, 4.21), PHI: Lopez, Ro (2-0, 2.60)
7/26: STL: Wellemeyer (7-8, 5.68), PHI: Blanton (6-4, 4.24)

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.

The Return of Rolen

I am very excited for this three game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. For the sixth time, I will get to see my favorite Phillie return home to with stand the boos and idiots who didn't appreciate what he brought to this franchise. Scott Rolen is still a true Phillie in my book.

Rolen had a remarkable career in Philaldelphia, batting a career .281, 150 homers, and 559 RBI's in seven seasons. He won the rookie of the year in 1997 and tallied four of his seven Gold Gloves while here. He was also an all star in his final year in Philly and added four more in St. Louis.

After his feud with the Phillies front office, mainly Dallas Green who said he was trying to be better than he really was, and was upset at the Phillies lack of urgency to win, Rolen refused to sign a contract extension in his final year. He wasn't being greedy and he wasn't sticking it to the city he loved to play for, he just hated his boss and the situation he was in. Rolen was traded to the Cardinals along with a prospect for Placido Polanco, Bud Smith, and Mike Timlin.

Rolen went to St. Louis from 2002 until 2007 and won a World Series there in 2006. Along with Albert Pujols and Jim Edmonds, he helped form a dangerous 3-4-5 spot in the lineup. He was then traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for Troy Glaus.

Rolen has had to battle injuries he sustained while playing in Veterans Stadium for most of his career. His aggressive play, tenacity in the field, and amazing skill with the glove at third base wore him down as he would dive along the rock-hard surface in the Vet. He would continue to struggle with injuries after leaving Philly with the torn shoulder labrum he sustained in Philly along with his constant sore lower back.

Rolen has played some great baseball this year for Toronto, hitting .320 in 54 games. His power numbers have dropped as he has only three homers and 18 doubles with 19 RBI's.

I'll be at Wednesday's game wearing my Rolen #17 Phillies jersey and cheering hard for him in full force.

FIM #7: The Phold

The Reds' Chico Ruiz steals home

1964 was supposed to be a great year for the Phillies. They already saw a no hitter from Jim Bunning and they were in the clear to take the division. Well with a 6 1/2 game lead, they blew the last 12 games to miss the playoffs. Known as the "Phold," this was originally the worst collapse until 2007 when the Mets choked worse than this team.

They couldn't ask for a better season from Bunning, who went 19-8 with a 2.63 ERA that year. Chris Short also helped Bunning support the pitching. They even got some help from third baseman Dick Allen, who had an excellent rookie season. Manager Gene Mauch knew this team was going to win it's first world championship.

Starting on September 21, the Phillies went on a ten game losing streak, and the Cincinnati Reds went on to win nine in a row. The turning point in that September 21 game was when Chico Ruiz stole home in the bottom of the 6th inning. The game ended with a Reds victory of 1-0. This began the Phillies 10 game slide.

The crucial series came when Phillies were in 2nd place. They traveled to St. Louis to play the Cardinals after their losing home stand. They dropped the first game of the series to Bob Gibson by a 5-1 score, their eighth loss in a row, dropping them to third place. The Cardinals would sweep the three-game set and assume first place for good. The Reds would catch up and tie the Phillies for second, winning thanks to a tie breaker.

In an interview with the NY Post back in 2007 about the Mets collapse, Bunning talked about his collapse: "The one thing we never got in '64," Bunning said, "was the one performance, the one big hit, the one huge pitching performance that could have stopped the bleeding."

It's an image that only a few still remember. Like many of the other bad moments in Phillies history, this wiped out by the 2 world championships won in 1980 and 2008.

FIM #12: 10,000 Losses

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

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

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

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

FIM #15: Three Straight Years of HOFers

It was in the wake of a World Series run that ended in heart break. But fans were soon reminded of the great players that have worn the Phillies jersey in years past. 1994 was the first of three consecutive years a Phillie would get inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

In 1994, Steve Carlton was inducted. He is considered one of the greatest pitchers to ever play the game. Carlton came over to Philadelphia in the “greatest trade in Phillies history” for Rick Wise in 1972. He continued to be the dominatne pitcher he was in St. Louis, helping the Phillies win their first World Series in 1980. Carlton won 329 games in his career with 254 complete games, 55 of those were shut outs.

In 1995, the Phillies were treated with 2 HOFers: Mike Schmidt and the late Richie Ashburn. Schmidt is considered the greatest third basemen ever. He was a Phillie his whole career and was a 9-time Gold Glover, 12-time All Star, 6-time Silver Slugger, and 1-time world champion.

Ashburn was a member of the 1950 pennant winning team nicknamed the “Whiz Kids” and became one half of the famous Harry and Whitey broadcasting team. He could hit, get on base and steal then would steal them. He is 3rd in Phillies history in runs scored. He is also a 5-time All Star. He passed away on September 9, 1997.

Lastly, in 1996, Jim Bunning was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Bunning was famous for throwing the only perfect game in Phillies history in 1964, the same year they had their monumental collapse. Bunning was excellent his whole career, winning 224 games and striking out 2855 batters.

All four players have had their numbers retired by the Phillies. Surely it was a wonderful consolation prize after losing the heart breaker in 1993.

National League Preview

The Philadelphia Phillies will have a lot of work to do if they want to repeat as NL champions. In order to do that, they will have to get past NL East rivals New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. The competition doesn’t stop there as the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals in the Central and the Los Angeles Dodgers will take the West but may see some competition. Here’s an in-depth look at the key teams in the National League.

In the East, the Phillies are still the favorite in the division. They have the best infield in the NL and probably all of baseball with Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Pedro Feliz. Their outfield is nothing short of good either with Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, and newly added Raul Ibanez to fill the hole Pat Burrell had left. Pitching will have to play like it did last season to defend that pennant successfully. Cole Hamels is an elite pitcher in the league. He may miss opening day with elbow problems. Brett Myers is his second man with 46-year old Jamie Moyer taking up the third spot in the rotation. Joe Blanton is the guy to keep your eyes on this year. He pitched well after making the move to the NL and should keep up that pace this year. Their bench is deep and their bull pen is strong, being led by closer Brad Lidge and set up man Ryan Madson. They will receive and instant boost once JC Romero is back from his 50-game suspension. Not many holes in this team at all.

The Mets are sick of blowing the season the past two years. They are also sick of blowing saves. So they went out and spent money to bring in closer Francisco Rodriguez, who broke the single season saves record last year. He will definitely rack up saves barring the opportunities he gets but he will blow his fair share too; not my idea of an improvement. There is nothing stellar once you get past ace Johan Santana in the rotation but Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez are decent pitchers. They do have a solid offense led by David Wright and Jose Reyes. Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado are still both dangerous hitters but after you get past the first five, their depth is very shallow. They are lucky because they are one of the better Wild Card teams.

The Braves bolstered their rotation with the signing of Derek Lowe. He will be supported by Javier Vazquez and Jair Jurrjens. Chipper Jones leads the offense and he is supported by Brian McCann, Kelly Johnson, Garrett Anderson and Jeff Francoeur. The Braves are young but always stay in the mix. The Florida Marlins have some young talent in Dan Uggla and Hanley Ramirez but that’s really about it. The pitching is very weak. The Washington National aren’t any better and will not be a factor at all this season.

In the Central, the Chicago Cubs are sticking by the motto, “Maybe This Year,” once again. They certainly have a good team but always fall very short in the playoffs. Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano are the spark plugs of this offense. Kosuke Fukudome really came into his own last season and should still be a key to their offense this season. They also sport one of the best young catchers in the league in Geovany Soto. Jeff Samardzija really turned into a good reliever last year and should see his role increased in the pen. Kevin Gregg and Carlos Marmal are the two leading candidates to be the Cubs closer this season.

The Cardinals may very well surprise us this year. Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball and he is healthy. He may be the only super star on that team but he is supported by guys who can play. They got Khalil Green in a trade in the offseason and have Troy Glaus at third still. Ryan Ludwick and Yadier Molino really played well last year and should continue to play well this season. The big story though is the pitching staff. Adam Wainwright will be the staff’s ace and he will be followed up by Kyle Lohse and Todd Wellemeyer. The Cardinals had no true closer last season but expect Ryan Franklin to take the role again. The rest of the division is very weak once you get past the Milwaukee Brewers. They lost CC Sabathia to the Yankees and I don’t see them getting that 2nd half magic they got last season. They have offensive talent but no pitching at all. The Cincinnati Reds and Houston Astros do not pose a threat at all and the Pittsburgh Pirates are just awful.

In the West, the Dodgers seem to have things under control over there. They got Manny Ramirez to finally sign. He was the hottest player in the second half last season and the only Dodger who could figure out the Phillies pitching in the post season. Andre Ethier, James Loney, and Russell Martin will all contribute to the sturdy offense they have. They lost Lowe and Brad Penny in the pitching staff but added Randy Wolfe. They will look for Hiroki Kuroda and Chad Billingsley to step up and take control of the pitching. The Diamond backs will have to rely heavily on Brandon Webb’s arm if they want to compete. The San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Colorado Rockies won’t be too much of a factor.

The Phillies will take the East and will have the best record in the National League. The Cubs will take the Central in a close race and the Dodgers will easily win the West. The Cardinals should take the Wild Card over the Mets.