Liberty Ball

The way this series ended is kind of typical of how the Phillies’ season has gone.  While the Phillies got the job done over the weekend, one of the guys who’s supposed to be one of our better pitchers had a flat out collapse.  In the meantime, the team is being sold from underneath us in one of the biggest salary dumps in a while.

On Friday, Bret Myers had yet another good start, and he was even pulled at the right time.  Unfortunately, the bullpen didn’t give us much help and gave up three runs while the offense never really got started.  Ryan Howard homered in the bottom of the ninth, but outside of that, the Phillies were held to two hits the rest of the game.

On Saturday, the Phillies got rolling.  A seven run third pretty much put this game away.  Pat Burrell, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Aaron Rowand all hit homeruns. Utley drove in three runs and Burrell scored twice.  Cole Hamels was very good in his start. He improved to 3-5 and gave up three runs on five hits and two walks with seven strikeouts.

The Phillies kept up the offense in game one yesterday.  The Phillies scored five in the fourth and four in the fifth to put the game away.  Mike Lieberthal drove in five runs while Aaron Rowand drove in three.  Ryan Howard walked five times and scored twice and Randy Wolf made his first start in a long, long time.  He gave up three runs on three hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings.  Aaron Fultz gave up two runs, but he did it when the Phillies started scoring runs so he picked up the win.

The Phillies made it three straight with a 9-2 win in the second game of the doubleheader.  Ryan Howard had three hits including homerun number 35 and Ryan Madson won his ninth.  He gave up two runs on eight hits with six strikeouts in six innings.

Today was pretty brutal.  Jon Lieber gave up nine runs in 4 2/3 innings and this one was over pretty early.  Chase Utley did get a hit and he now has a 32 game hitting streak.  Chris Coste homered for the third time this year in the beatdown loss. 

Next up is a three game set against the NL Central leading Cardinals.  The Cardinals are coming off of four straight losses to the lowly Cubs, so hopefully we’ll be catching them while down.  There’s still some games to be played tonight, but right now (8:20 EDT) the Phillies are 5 1/2 games back of the Reds for the Wild Card.

Well, it looks like we’re sellers.  While I’m glad the Phillies have finally realized they’re going to have a really hard time competing for the Wild Card, I hate the fact that we’re basically giving up with two months left, but you had to see it coming.

This was a salary dump, so it will set us up for next year to pick up some solid players.  C.J. Henry was the Yankees first round draft pick in 2005 but he’s been nothing special so far.  Matt Smith is an okay lefty although he walks a ton of guys.  I guess I’ll pass judgement on the overall trade until we know who the player to be named later is.

And I just want to wish Bobby good luck.  He’s been very good for us for a long time and one of my favorite player, and I’d like to see him win a championship, even it if is with the Yankees.

With only two teams really out of contention for the Wild Card in the National League, every series is big.  The Phillies had been struggling, but they got the job done against the Diamondbacks.  They almost swept them, which is encouraging as we head into the final two months of the season.

Other then the Phillies first inning in which they scored three runs, no more then one run was scored in a half inning the rest of the way.  The Diamondbacks scored all six of their runs in seperate innings but it was Carlos Quentin’s solo homerun in the top of the tenth that did the most damage. Ryan Madson had a rough start but escaped four innings and only gave up two runs.  Ryan Franklin took the loss.  Chase Utley drove in three runs and Jimmy Rollins scored twice in the 6-5 loss.

The Phillies jumped all over Brandon Webb yesterday.  By the end of the third inning, the Phillies had six runs and while they didn’t score the rest of the way, Jon Lieber and the pen held on to win it.  Dave Dellucci drove in two runs and Chase Utley got the job done again and drove in three.  Lieber improved to 4-7 and he gave up four runs on eleven hits and no walks.  Tom Gordon picked up save number 24.

The Diamondbacks tagged Cory Lidle for a run in each of the first two innings but a Mike Lieberthal’s two run homerun tied it up in the fourth and in the fifth, Ryan Howard doubled home a run to give the Phillies the lead for good.  Aaron Rowand added two more with a two run single to give the Phillies some insurance, but it wasn’t needed.  Lidle was very good.  He gave up two runs on four hits with eight strikeouts through eight innings.  Gordon pitched a perfect ninth to pick up save number 25.

There’s some games tonight, but here’s the score.  The Phillies are now tied with the Rockies, and they’re 5 1/2 games back of the Reds.  They’re either tied with or behind seven other teams and they face one of those teams this weekend in a huge five game series.  The Marlins have to go down.  Four of five would be optimal.  Anything less, and we may as well be sellers going into the trade deadline.

Charlie Manual strikes again.  We could have passed the Braves last night but Manual left Bret Myers in there an inning to long.  Even worse, the Marlins finally caught up to us.  And now the Phillies are down 7-4 in the sixth in the makeup game.  What’s even worse is the team’s caught in limbo.  They’re close enough to still make a run, but the chances of them making the playoffs are pretty low.  So they should sell heading into the deadline, but if they do, then they’ll then probably have no chance.

The Phillies got off to a good start on Friday.  They were down 3-2 and tied it up in the seventh and took a three run lead in the eighth.  Tom Gordon gave up a two run shot that made things interesting, but the Phillies hung on.  Jimmy Rollins was four for five with a homerun and David Bell was a perfect four for four with two runs.  Cory Lidle threw eight solid innings and he improved to 7-7.

Saturday’s game was rained out and then Sunday disaster struck.  Bret Myers took a 1-1 lead into the ninth when he gave up two runs, as did Tom Gordon, who’s really been struggling.  The Phillies scored their one run on Mike Lieberthal’s ground out in the second inning.

Cole Hamels struck out twelve in 5 1/3 innings, but he was tagged for seven runs today, including five in the sixth.  The Phillies battled back with three in the bottom of the sixth, but it’s still 7-4 in the seventh.  And Atlanta is threatening in the seventh.

Next up for the Phillies will be a three game series against the Diamondbacks.  I’d say it’s time to turn things around, but it’s getting late.

While the writeup isn’t completely flattering, Kevin Goldstein at Baseball Prospectus talks about Phillies prospect J.A. Happ.  I like the end where he mentions Happ as a possible number four starter.  It’s nice to have guys like this in the system.

The Phillies continue to struggle, and the more they drop in the standings, the more it looks like they should be sellers at the trade deadline and start over next year.  They’re now seven games below .500 and there’s only four teams worse in the National League.  They were 22-15 on May 15th and since then, they’ve gone 21-35.  The fact that they’re 5 1/2 games out of the wild card is somewhat encouraging, but they trail eight teams.  Of course, an extended winning streak like they had in early May could turn things around in a hurry.

Cole Hamels had a mediocre outing on Monday but it was the pen that really let them down. Ryan Franklin gave up three runs and Ryan Cormier gave up a single run (Cormier took the loss).  Ryan Howard hit homerun number 31.  Pat Burrell drove in two runs and Chase Utley scored twice.

Yesterday’s game was even worse.  Ryan Madson was shelled for seven runs and Arthur Rhodes gave up three.  Aaron Rowand and Chase Utley both homered in the 10-6 loss.

Today’s game was encouraging.  The Phillies went into the ninth down by a run and forced to face one of the best closers ever.  They tagged Trevor Hoffman on Bobby Abreau’s two run double.  He had three RBIs in all.  Rookie Chris Coste hit his first career homerun and drove in two in the 5-4 win.  Geoff Greay improved to 6-0 and Tom Gordon picked up save number 22.

Next up is a four game set with the Braves.  If we win three of four, we’ll move back into second base.  If we lose the series, we’ll drop even further back of the pack. It’s definitely time for the Phillies to pick it up.

Alright, the Phillies have now won two straight series but it could be too little too late.  The Braves have caught us and the Marlins are nipping at our heels.  It’s time to make a move or give things up.  And that would include ditching Charlie Manual.

On Friday, Ryan Howard had a nice game despite the loss.  Howard went two for four with his 29th homerun and two RBIs.  Outside of a sac. fly by Bobby Abreau, that was all of the offense the Phillies got.  Jon Lieber got roughed up in his start.  He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits and five walks through 5 1/3 innings.  He’s now 3-7 on the season.

The Phillies turned things around Saturday.  Pat Burrell turned on the offense and he had four hits and four RBIs, including his 20th homerun.  Howard went deep with homerun number 30 and the Phillies had eighteen hits and seven runs in the 14-6 blowout win.  Cory Lidle picked up the easy win and he gave up five runs (four earned) on eight hits and four walks with two strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.

Yesterday was the return of Bret Myers.  Myers picked up the win in a solid start and he gave up two runs on five hits with seven strikeouts through seven innings.  David Bell went deep for the Phillies and he drove in two runs.  Aaron Rowand went two for four with two RBIs and a run.

It’s time for an extended winning streak like the Phillies had in late April/early May.  Next up is the first place Padres before the Phillies come home for an important (although I guess they all are) three game series against the Braves.

At least the Phillies went out on a winning note.  The Mets are running away with the NL East and the Phillies have more then half a dozen teams ahead of them for the Wild Card.  While the Phillies will probably stay on the fringe of contention in the second half, they’ll probably have to play around .600 ball to make the playoffs.  Part of me looks at the young talent on the team and I think they can do it, but then the cynical side of me always says “These are the Phillies, get real.”

Jon Lieber made his triumphant return on Friday and it went to waste.  He had a solid start and gave up three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walks with two strikeouts in seven innings of work.  Unfortunately, Pirates starter Ian Snell was just a little bit better and held the Phillies to two runs on four hits.  Jimmy Rollins was the hitting star and he went two for four with a run.

A four run first inning pushed the Phillies to a 6-2 win on Saturday.  Backup catcher Coste drove in three runs to lead the offense and Chase Utley went three for five with a run.  Aaron Rowand had a hit, an RBI and he scored twice.

Yesterday was a blow out of sorts.  The game was tied 3-3 when the Phillies scored two in the fifth and three in the sixth to open the game.  The final was 8-3 and Bobby Abreau had three hits and two runs.  Rollins and Pat Burrell scored twice while Aaron Rowand and Coste drove in two runs a piece.  Cole Hamels put together a nice start he improved to 2-4.  He gave up three runs on six hits through five innings and he struck out seven.

After the break, the Phillies head out west with the first stop in San Francisco.  This is one of those teams that’s ahead of us in the Wild Card picture so we can’t lose too many of these.

Man, the Phillies are playing bad.  Against the Padres this week, they lost two of three and they were lucky they didn’t get swept.  The Mets are out of reach, and if we keep this up, the Wild Card will be as well.

On Tuesday, The Phillies jumped out to a 5-2 lead only to see it gone by the eighth inning.  Fortunately, Aaron Rowand came up huge with a walk off RBi single in the ninth to win it.  Tom Gordon picked up the win and Ryan Howard finished with two hits, two RBIs and two runs.

Then on Wednesday, it was back to the losing.  The Padres broke a 3-3 tie in the ninth with three runs to bust that game open.  Both Arthur Rhodes and Tom Gordon were shelled in this one.  And then yesterday, the Phillies took a three run lead in the second and then didn’t score the rest of the game.  The Pirates passed them with five runs in the fifth and by then it was 5-3 and out of reach (for this team).  Ryan Madson dropped to 8-6 on the season in the 5-3 loss and Chase Utley had two hits and two runs.

The last place Pirates are on deck so hopefully we’ll be able to win that series.  The way this team is playing though, you never know.

The Florida Marlins are knocking at our door now.  The six and a half games that we’re behind in the wild card race doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s hard to make up that many games when so many teams are ahead of us (seven teams right now).  We’re now seven games below .500 and you’d have to think Charlie Manual’s job is on the line.

On Friday, Dave Dellucci hit a solo homerun, and that was the Phillies offense.  Outside of that, the Phillies had six singles.  Adam Bernero, filling in for Bret Myers, was shelled to the tune of eight runs on seven hits and two walks in two innings.  After that, the pen shut down the Jays but the offense couldn’t get anything done in the 8-1 loss.

Saturday was a little closer but a loss is a loss.  Neither team scored through five innings and then the homeruns came.  Cory Lidle took the loss despite a solid start and Jimmy Rollins had two hits, an RBI and a run in the 5-2 loss.

The win finally came yesterday.  Chase Utley homered and drove in three runs and Bobby Abrea had three hits and four RBIs in the 11-6 win.  Ryan Howard homered for the league leading 28th time this season.  Geoff Geary picked up the win in relief of Aaron Fultz, who made his first career start after 381 career relief appearances. 

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley made the All Star team so we’ll get to see them next week.  Utley was voted in.

Next up for the Phillies are the first place Padres.  This skid has to stop and it’d be nice if we could pick up some ground here this week heading into the break.