Liberty Ball

Eric Bruntlett is a serviceable shortstop at best. Lately he has been real quiet, which is better than when he had everybody talking about him for being terrible. Today he gets bumped back up to the second spot in the lineup. He can’t handle being there. The Phillies haven’t even batted yet and the pressure is getting to him. He has 1 error, but should have 2 on 2 very similar plays. 2 grounders up the middle where he got to the ball, and threw it in the dirt. The scorekeeper was generous to credit the first as a hit.

To add to Bruntlett’s horrible defense, Jayson Werth dropped a flyball in center. Luckily that play didn’t hurt us, but Bruntlett’s first gaff did. The next batter jacked a Moyer “fastball” to deep right field. We’re down 2-0 to start the game. Bruntlett better get a good at-bat here!

*Edit*

Okay, so he got a single and extended his hitting streak to 8 games. Works for me.

*Edit*

Tie game.  Thank you Chase Utley. 2-run HR.  Bruntlett scores on it.

The Phillies poured it on late to ensure the victory last night over Greg Maddux and the San Diego Padres.  Doubles by Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, and Greg Dobbs helped in the big inning.  Utley, Ruiz, and Pedro Feliz each went 2-4 on the day.

Cole Hamels got the win for the Phillies.  He pitched 7 1/3 innings, and only gave up 2 earned runs while striking out 6.  Hamels has pitched 7 innings in each of his first 6 starts.  His record now stands at 3-3 although he has an outstanding ERA of just 2.70.

JC Romero replaced Hamels in the 8th and gave up a walk.  After the walk he was immediately replaced with Tom Gordon who finished out the inning perfectly.  Ryan Madson was summoned to pitch the last stanza, and gave up 2 runs in doing so.  He gave up 2 hits, one of which was a homerun, and struck out 2 batters.

Shane Victorino saw his first game action when he pinch hit in the 8th inning since going on the DL on April 12th with a right calf strain.  He flew out to the left fielder in his only at bat.

Tonight the Phillies go against those same Padres as Jamie Moyer (1-1, 4.05) takes on Chris Young (1-2, 3.77).  A win tonight would mean yet another series win for the Phillies who have now improved their record to 15-12.  They have actually secured a winning record for the month of April which has been a rare thing in past years.  They are still a half game back of the Florida Marlins for 1st place in the NL East.

The Phillies lost to the Pirates today 5-1.  Pirates lefty starter, Paul Maholm, won the game in 99 pitches.  He only allowed 2 hits, and faced just 30 batters in the game.  He walked 4, but also got 2 double plays in the game.

Pat Burrell got one of the hits on a double in the 5th inning.  Eric Bruntlett then got the 2nd hit to drive in Burrell for the only run.  Bruntlett was then caught stealing when he took of for second on a pick off move by Maholm.

Brett Myers lasted 5 innings.  He pitched well, but gave up a leadoff homerun to Nate McClouth, and then another homer to the same man in the 5th inning.  Rudy Seanez gave up his first run of the season in the 6th.  Ryan Madson pitched the 7th, and Clay Condrey the 8th.

The Phillies come back home to take on the San Diego Padres on Tuesday.  Cole Hamels will face off against a long time favorite of mine, Greg Maddux.  Shane Victorino is scheduled to be back from his stint on the DL for the game, but there is no word yet to how much he will play.

In the midst of this 3 game winning streak and winning 6 of their last 7, the Phillies have improved their record to 14-11 and are just a half game behind the Florida Marlins for first place in the NL East.  The Phillies had struggled to get above .500 for most of the season but now are pushing to stay on top.

The Phillies beat the Pirates 8-4 yesterday with the help of a huge 5-run first inning.  The best part is that all the action started with 2 outs in the inning.  Jayson Werth lead off the game by grounding out to short.  Greg Dobbs then popped out to the 3rd baseman.  Chase Utley got the rally started with a single to right.  Ryan Howard then crushed a homerun to centerfield.  Phillies 2-0.  Pat Burrell singled over the shortstop’s head.  Geoff Jenkins hit a liner to right that went off of Xavier Nady’s glove for an error.  Burrell scored and Jenkins went to 2nd.  Phillies 3-0.  Chris Coste was hit by a pitch.  Eric Bruntlett singled in Jenkins.  Kyle Kendrick hit a grounder to short that was booted into centerfield allowing Coste to score.  E6, Phillies 5-0.  Werth then came up and committed his second out of the inning by flying out to right.

Pirate’s starter threw 49 pitches in the first inning!  He was pulled after getting 2 outs in the second.  Sadly, it might have been Morris’ last outing of his career.  He is now 0-4 on the season with a 9.67 ERA.  His fastball is maybe in the mid 80s and he doesn’t have the control to be a finesse pitcher.  There has been a lot of talk of him either being released (but then the Pirates would have to eat a lot of $) or him possibly just retiring (but there’s all that cash)

I just looked again to find the link, and apparently in the hour since I last looked, the Pirate’s did release him.  He said “I’ve always said the other team will let you know when you’re done.”  Well that team was the Phillies.

The Phillies go for the sweep of the Keystone Series today as Brett Myers (2-1, 4.78) takes on Paul Maholm (1-2, 4.22).  The Phillies have to wait until Tuesday to get Shane Victorino back from the 15-day DL.  Luckily Jason Werth has been on fire in his time filling in.  I just looked, and Ryan Howard has 4 strikeouts in I think 9 at bats against Maholm.  I know it sounds repetitive, but look for him to fan a couple more times.

The Phillies were able to outlast the Pirates last night to win 6-5.  With 1 out in the bottom of the 4th inning, I thought that Adam Eaton and the Phillies were going to roll through the rest of the game.  Boy was I wrong.  Eaton proceeded to give up a homerun to Jason Bay, then 3 doubles, and was pulled after he pitched around the #8 batter to get to the pitcher with a force out in play.  Chad Durbin came in to finish out the inning.  What was a 6-0 lead was now a 6-3 lead and Eaton long gone.

Durbin gave up 2 more runs in the 5th inning, and that’s also when the Phillies offense got ice cold.  After the 2 runs in the fourth inning, the team combined to get only 2 hits the rest of the game, and one of those was Durbin’s first ever Major League hit.  Luckily for the team, relievers Tom Gordon, JC Romero, and Brad Lidge all pitched scoreless innings and preserved the victory.  Gordon earned the victory and Lidge got another save by striking out 2 in the 9th.

Jayson Werth was the only Phillie to go deep in this game.  He ended up 2-4 with the homerun, 2 runs, and 2 RBI.  Chris Coste was my MVP of the game going 3-5 with a double and three RBI.  Brad Harman also got his first Major League hit with an RBI double in the 4th inning.  He came around to score on a single by Werth.

Harman got the start at 2nd because Chase Utley played 1st base.  Ryan Howard has been absolutely awful at the plate, and has finally been sat down to get the point across, although he did strike out when he pinch hit for the pitcher again!  At this pace he could close in on 275 Ks this season.  I don’t care how hard he hits in when he makes contact if that is only 1-10 times.  That’s 2 times every 5 games.

If I were to tell you before the season started that the Phillies bullpen would have a record of 6-4 through 23 games you would have said I was nuts.  Almost half of the games have been decided late in games.  This is not surprising considering that the Phillies lead the league in come from behind wins last year.  What is surprising is how well the bullpen has performed since the Opening Day gaff.

Jamie Moyer only gave up 1 run in 6 innings of work last night, but got a no decision.  It was Tom Gordon who picked up the W in the 3-1 defeat of the Milwaukee Brewers.  Once again the bullpen combined to not give up any runs with both JC Romero, and Ryan Madson picking up holds while Brad Lidge got the save.

The Phillies scored their run on a solo shot by Jayson Werth in the 6th, and a 2 RBI double by Pat Burrell in the 8th that drove in Greg Dobbs and Chase Utley.  Utley went 3-4 on the day, but all his hits were singles.  He has clearly lost his power.

Ryan Howard did not start…but still managed to strike out 2 times.  He wasn’t in the lineup because he can’t hit, and he proved it again by striking out 2 times when he pinch hit in the 8th for the pitcher, and again in the 9th after he stayed in to play 1st.

Chase Utley is playing first right now in the game against Pittsburgh and things appear to be going well so far.

Despite homeruns by Chase Utley, Greg Dobbs, and Pat Burrell, the Phillies lost 5-4 last night to the Milwaukee Brewers.  Cole Hamels picked up the loss, dropping his record to 2-3 with a 2.75 ERA.  He struck out 11 batters in the game but gave 2 2-run homeruns to Prince Fielder, and 5 earned runs overall in 7 innings.  The Brewers took the lead in the bottom of the 8th inning with Fielder’s second homer and closed the game out in the ninth.

The Phillies scored 3 runs on a bases loaded double by Pat Burrell in the top of the 9th inning last night and held on to get the come from behind win over the Rockies 8-6.  Brad Lidge recorded his 4th save on the season by going 1-2-3 in the bottom of the 9th with 2 strikeouts.  Ryan Madson recorded the win in relief with pitching a scoreless 8th inning.  Manny Corpas blew his 3rd save in 7 opportunities for the Rockies.

Chase Utley’s homerun streak came to an end.  He was only able to go 2-5 with a 2 RBI double and a run scored.  Come on, Chase.  You need to pick it up.

Well I was right, and I hate being right.  Ryan Howard did strike out 2 times, the exact way I said he would.  Francis was able strike him out on slow, outside curveballs.  Howard was nowhere close on either one.  I don’t see why any team would pitch him any other way than that.  He has proved that he can’t hit that pitch all season.

Pedro Feliz did not go deep, but he did have a big day.  The third basemen went 3-5 on the day with a double and a run scored.  Jayson Werth was the only Phillie to hit a 4 bagger.  This time it was the more conventional way by crushing one out in left-center field.

Brett Myers pitched 7 inning, but gave up 6 earned runs.  He gave up 2 homeruns and only struck out 3.  He left the game trailing 6-5 but was taken off record when the Phills tied it up and took the lead in the 9th.

Once again, the Phillies’ bullpen was stellar.  Although they only pitched 2 innings, they did not allow a run.

Chase Utley hit another homerun in last night’s 9-5 win over Colorado extending his streak of games with a homerun to 5.  He has hit 6 in that span.

Utley’s homer was the second of back to back knocks by the Phillies in the 6th inning.  Jayson Werth hit the first one, although it wasn’t how you would think a homerun was hit.  He hit an inside the park homerun.  Werth hit the ball to the base of the wall in right-center field.  The centerfielder couldn’t get to the ball and it bounced off the wall and shot back towards center.  By the time the centerfielder got to the ball, Werth had used his long strides to make it almost to third where he was waved home.  He dove for the plate head first making it easily.

Pat Burrell also went deep in the game when he drove a 3-1 pitch to the seats in left field.

The Phillies were down 4-5 going into the 8th inning, but were able to score 2 runs on a bases loaded double by Carlos Ruiz.  The Phillies then added three more runs in the ninth with both Werth and Burrell hitting RBI doubles.  Rudy Seanez was credited with the W after pitching a scoreless 7th inning.  Tom Gordon got the Hold in the 8th, and Brad Lidge was able to close the game out, although it was not a save opportunity.  The bullpen did not allow any runs in their 4 innings of work (Condrey came in to pitch the 6th).

Kyle Kendrick went 5+ innings, and gave up 5 runs on 2 homeruns.  He seemed to get into jams in every inning, but was only hurt on those two shots.  Luckily for him, his offense battled back and he received a No Decision.

Once again the Phillies owned the #1 play on Sportscenter’s top 10 this morning.  This time it was a fantastic diving stop by Chase Utley who then flipped the ball with his glove to Eric Bruntlett for the double play.

The Phillies once again try to get above .500 on the season tonight as they take on the Rockies at 8:35.  Brett Myers (2-1,  3.96) takes on Jeff Francis (0-2, 5.89).  Look for Pedro Feliz to go deep in this game, and maybe Burrell again.  Howard will get a couple strikeouts (what else is new) with a lefty on the mound.  He will receive a steady diet of breaking balls away until he can figure out to step into them and take them to left field.

The Phillies were able to hold off the New York Mets last night 5-4 to win the last game of a 3 game series. JC Romero got the win in relief and Brad Lidge was able to pick up the save. Chase Utley crushed 2 homeruns on the day. He was a perfect 3-3 with 2 homeruns, and 4 RBIs.

Utley hit his second homer in the bottom of the 5th inning. The dinger drove in Jayson Werth and Greg Dobbs. That put the score at 4-0 after 5. It was at this moment that I had the feeling of “I’m not sure 4 runs is a big enough lead right now.” Sure enough Adam Eaton started off the 6th inning by giving up a triple to Jose Reyes, an RBI single to Luis Castillo, a double to David Wright, and a 2 RBI single to Carlos Beltran. Eaton was then pulled without recording an out in the 6th inning. Chad Durbin came into the game and allowed 1 more run in Eaton’s name before getting out of the inning. Up until the 6th, Eaton had pitched very well striking out 4 while only giving up 2 hits. Much like last year, he was unable to stop the bleeding once it started and had to be pulled.

After the brutal 6th inning was over, the score was tied 4-4.

Pedro Feliz came in to pinch hit for Greg Dobbs in the 7th inning and hit a solo, opposite field homerun to take the lead 5-4.

JC Romero pitched 2 scoreless innings (7-8), and left the game to closer Brad Lidge for the 9th. Lidge made it interesting walking the first batter he faced, then allowing a base hit to the next man. He got out of the jam when Eric Bruntlett made a great play at short.  He was able to dive and get a grounder and turn it into a fantastic double play.  It was the Sportscenter #1 play this morning.

Chase Utley now leads the majors in homeruns with his two in the game. He has a 4-game homerun streak going and has hit 5 in that time. He is seeing the ball really well, and his swing is nice and compact which allows him to get around on a lot of pitches even if he’s fooled.

Unfortunately the win came after 2 disappointing losses to the Mets. On Friday, Johan Santana was dealing. He struck out 10 batters through 7+ innings. The Phillies got the game to 4-5 going into the 9th, but the Mets scored 1 in the top of the inning off of Brad Lidge and were able to close out the game 6-4.

Saturday, the Phillies lost 4-2. Jamie Moyer gave up 2 runs through 6 innings, but Ryan Madson gave up another 2 in the top of the 7th. Those 2 runs proved too much for the Phillies to overcome as Billy Wagner was able to save the game for Oliver Perez. Ryan Howard had another rough day, and now leads the league in strikeouts.

The Phillies take on the Colorado Rockies tonight in about 15 minutes. Kyle Kendrick (1-2, 4.40) takes on Mark Redman (2-1, 4.60). The game is out at Coors so hopefully the ball will travel that extra 10% in the thinner air for us.

Today the Phillies put Jimmy Rollins and recently called up Chris Snelling on the 15-day Disabled List.  Rollins is still suffering from his ankle sprain and Snelling has left knee inflammation.  Rollins was hopeful to get back and play last week, but that never happened and he has yet to get better.  He has pinch hit some while he has been out, but it has been apparent that he cannot run on his ankle.

Brad Harman, an infielder from AA Reading, and TJ Bohn, an outfielder from AAA Lehigh were called up to fill the roster spots.  Harman was hitting a whopping .222, while Bohn was hitting at a blistering average of .190.  Awesome.

Also, the Phillies are trying to not get swept by the Mets tonight at 8:05pm.  I haven’t been able to watch the first two games yet but I know they were slightly disappointing.

The Phillies beat the Houston Astros 10-2 today.  Brett Myers got the win while Brandon Backe got the loss for the Astros.  The Phillies scored 10 runs but still left another 10 men on base.  There were 6 homeruns hit in the game; 4 by the Phillies and 2 solo homeruns hit by the Astros for their only runs.

Brett Myers pitched another strong game going 7 innings with only giving up 1 run while he struck out 8.  Tom Gordon came in and recorded a scoreless 8th inning, and Clay Condrey came in for the 9th and gave up a solo homer to Carlos Lee on his first pitch, then followed that up with a single, then retired the next three to end the game.

The Phillies chases Astros starter Brandon Backe from the game with no outs recorded in the 4th inning.  He gave up 6 runs, but one was due to an error.

I almost feel bad for Jose Valverde…almost.  I think that we might have really done some damage to his psyche in this series.  Not only did he blow the first game, but he came in tonight to get some work and gave up a double to Geoff Jenkins and then a homerun to Chris Coste.  He started the 8th inning on a roll, but then got hammered.  Hopefully he will be able to still be their closer and only blow up against us.

Every starting position player had a hit today.  Everybody besides Eric Bruntlett that is, but I don’t count him oftentimes.  Chris Coste lead the way going 4-5 with a homerun, a double, and 3 RBIs.  He also reached base on an error in his one at bat that wasn’t a hit.

Chase Utley hit his 4th homerun of the season.  Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell combined for their first back to back homeruns of the season in the 6th inning.  Burrell continues to put up video game like numbers (he is the leading MVP candidate for me in 2K8) with 6 homers and 17 RBIs.

While it was nice to see the bats get hot, it could have been so much more.  We really need to capitalize on our opportunities.  Luckily our pitching was fantastic tonight and we got away with leaving so many men on base.

Tomorrow is the game that every phan has been waiting for since the winter deal of Johan Santana to the Mets.  Tomorrow, Phillies ace lefty Cole Hamels (2-1, 0.82) will take on Mets ace lefty Johan Santana (1-2, 3.05).  It is the first time that each pitcher will face the other team this season.  Opening pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm.

Jimmy Rollins will not be available for the game.  He went home to California to be with his family following the death of his uncle.  I wish all the Rollins family the best.

Oh yeah.  Here are the stats I came up with for the offense on my scorecard:

So Taguchi CF:

2-5 (Run)

Greg Dobbs 3B:

2-5 (2 Runs)

Chase Utley 2B:

2-5 (HR, 2 RBI, 2 K)

Ryan Howard 1B:

2-4 (HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K)

Pat Burrell LF:

2-4 (HR, 2R, 2 RBI, 1 BB)

Geoff Jenkins RF:

2-4 (2 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K)

Chris Coste C:

4-5 (HR, 2B, 1 R, 3 RBI, Reached on Error)

Eric Bruntlett SS:

0-5 (2 K)

Brett Myers P:

0-3 (BB, K)

The Phillies waited until the bottom of the 9th inning to score any runs tonight, and beat the Houston Astros.  They rallied to score 4 runs and win the game on a walkoff double by Pedro Feliz, winning 4-3.  Geoff Jenkins scored on the play from 1st.  He reached after striking out but getting to first when the strike 3 pitch got past catcher Brad Ausmus.

“Senor Out”, as Feliz is so kindly nicknamed, went 3-4 on the day with that game winning RBI double.  I think this game will earn him some much needed respect from phans.  Not only has his D been stellar at 3rd, but it seems like he is going to start producing like he was expected to when he was signed.

Shawn Chacon pitched an amazing game for the Astros.  He pitched 8 scoreless innings, giving up only 4 hits, and two walks while striking out 5.  The Astros then turned the game over to closer Jose Valverde, who started the inning by giving up a pinch hit to newly called up Chris Snelling.  He hit Chase Utley before striking out Ryan Howard.  Pat Burrell came up next and crushed an opposite field homerun to tie the game at 3.  After blowing the save, Valverde struck out Geoff Jenkins.  However; Jenkins was able to make it to first after the strikeout pitch got past catcher Brad Ausmus and bounced off the backstop and towards first base.  Pedro Feliz then came up and rifled a double down the third base line.  Jenkins was off on the hit and knew that he had a chance to score.  The Astros had a good relay from Carlos Lee to Miguel Tejada, but Jenkins was able to get in under the tag of Ausmus to end the game.

Adam Eaton pitched well, but got the No Decision.  He pitched 6 innings, gave up 7 hits and three runs.  Eaton also fanned 3 batters.  Chad Durbin added 2 scoreless innings, and Rudy Seanez pitched a scary, but scoreless, 9th inning and got the win.

Tomorrow the Phillies take on the Astros at 7:05 at home.  Kyle Kendrick (1-1, 6.14) takes the mound against Houston ace Roy Oswalt (0-3, 9.00).  Oswalt is usually one of the most dominant right-handed pitchers in the NL, but he has had a rough start in 2008.  He has started 3 games but has only pitched 16 innings.  In those 16 innings, he has given up 16 runs on a whopping 30 hits.  5 of the hits that he has given up are homeruns.  Left-handed batters are batting an astonishing .467 against Oswalt.  Hopefully our powerful lefties in the lineup can continue to help Oswalt struggle.

Meanwhile, Kendrick has only gone 7 1/3 innings in his two starts.  He has yet to show the control that he had last season and is looking to rebound quickly before things get out of hand for him.

Jimmy Rollins wore number 42 tonight in honor of the late great Jackie Robinson.  Jimmy pinch hit for the pitcher in the 8th inning and grounded out to third.  He said that he is up to full speed but moving to his left to get groundballs still hurts some.  He said that he expects to be in the lineup in the next few days, probably Thursday.

Once again, I kept a scorecard at home.  Here are the offensive numbers I got for the Phillies:

Jayson Werth CF:

1-4

Carlos Ruiz C:

0-3

–Chris Snelling PH:

1-1 (solo HR)

Chase Utley 2B:

0-3 (HBP, R)

Ryan Howard 1B:

0-3 (2 K, 1 BB)

Pat Burrell LF:

1-4 (HR, 2 RBI, 2 K)

Geoff Jenkins RF:

0-4 (R, 2 K)

Pedro Feliz 3B:

3-4 (2B, RBI)

Eric Bruntlett SS:

1-2 (BB, SB)

Adam Eaton P:

0-1

–Greg Dobbs PH:

0-1 (K)

–Jimmy Rollins PH:

0-1

I’m not one for blaming umps for a game, but last night was a different story.  In the 6th inning, Mark DeRosa hit what the umpires called a solo homerun off of Brett Myers.  Further replay showed that the ball was clearly foul.  The homerun should have never counted, meaning that the Cubs would have had one less run and the game would have never gone into extra innings, and the Phillies would have won.

Charlie Manuel got ejected arguing that the ball was foul.  He has a great argument.  Expect this to come back if we finish a game out of first or the wild card in what should be some extremely close races this year.

Cole Hamels was dominant yet again last night allowing just 3 baserunners on 1 hit, and 2 walks in 7 innings to the Cubs.  The Phillies won the game 7-1 with Ryan Madson giving up the only run in the 8th.  The Phillies were able to chase Ted Lilly from the game after just 4 1/3 innings after he allowed 5 earned runs.  Both Pedro Feliz and Ryan Howard hit 2 run homeruns off of Lilly before he left.

The biggest (and worst) news from the game came when Geoff Jenkins came in to the game for Shane Victorino.  Victorino re-injured the calf that caused him to miss time last year.  He claims that he injured it in the 5th inning when he scored on a wild pitch.  I watched the 5th and 6th innings again today to see if I could what happened and it appeared that he injured it during his at-bat in the 6th.  He spun awkwardly a few times when he fouled pitches off, and it was obvious that he wasn’t feeling good when he grounded out. 

The Phillies placed Victorino on the 15-day DL and called up Chris Snelling from AAA Lehigh.  For the time being, Jayson Werth and So Taguchi look to split time in center.  With both Jimmy Rollins and Victorino out today, Geoff Jenkins is batting lead off because of his success against Jason Marquis.  I’m surprised that the Phillies decided to call up Snelling.  He was only batting around .200 for the Iron Pigs this season.  Personally, I would have gone with Greg Golson from AA Reading.  He is batting .343 in 8 games, but more importantly, he has 7 stolen bases.  Right now, there is no speed in our lineup, and he would add that.  Snelling has only 2 steals in 89 career big league games.  Also, he is not a true centerfielder.  We do not have 1 actual centerfielder on the roster now.

The game today is in the third inning right now and has just been tied 1-1 by the Cubs.  Pat Burrell bobbled the ball and couldn’t make the throw home to the plate so Henry Blanco scored with ease.  The Phillies secured the series win with the victory last night, and Jamie Moyer looks to get the sweep today against Jason Marquis.  Already the Phils have loaded the bases in each inning and have only come away with 1 run.

People in Boston are saying that the Phillies are interested in aquiring Kyle Snyder.  Snyder was designated for assignment by the Reds, but they are still looking to get something in return for him.  With the injury to Dontrelle Willis, and the lack of bullpen pitching they have, I’m sure that the Tigers will put in a good bid to get Snyder.  He appeared in 46 games for the Red Sox last year and had a 3.81 ERA.  I have not heard who, or what the Phillies are willing to offer.

Brett Myers got his first win of the season last night as the Phillies beat the Cubs, 5-3.  Myers looked like he was in for another rough start after giving up back to back solo homeruns to Derek Lee and Aramis Ramirez in the first inning.  He was able to rally and only gave up 1 more run on yet another solo homerun, this time to Alfonso Soriano, in the 6th inning.  Myers did exactly what he needed to for the night.  He went 8 strong innings before handing the game over to Brad Lidge who pitced a scoreless 9th for the save.  Myers made it so that the bullpen could rest after having to pitch so much in that 12 inning game against the Mets.

It wasn’t the lefties as I predicted that got to Zambrano, but right handed Pat “the Bat” Burrell.  Burrell went 2-4 with a homerun, a double, and 3 RBI.  He has been the best Philly at the plate thus far this season, raising his batting average up to .400.  Greg Dobbs, who was playing 3rd for Pedro Feliz for the left handed bat, went 2-3 with a double and RBI of his own.  He produced just like the 2nd batter in the lineup should.

Cole Hamels take on Ted Lilly tonight at 7:05 pm.  I do not like the fact that the three right-handed big time hitters for the Cubs, Soriano, Lee, and Ramirez, all went deep last night.  I said over on beerleaguer just before Lee hit his homerun that I have a lingering feeling that he will have a big series against us.  Hopefully Hamels can use his changeup to keep them off balance tonight.  A win tonight would even us back at .500, and also give us our first series win of the season.

The Phillies were an astonishing 0-12 with runners in scoring position!  One hit in any of those at-bats and the game would have been completely different.  Eric Bruntlett cost us the game.  Once again his defense was shaky, although he did not commit any errors (thanks to Chase Utley), and he alone left 7 men on base by going 0-6!  More importantly, in the 11th inning, Jayson Werth got on base to start the inning off with an infield single.  Charlie Manuel then pinch hit Cole Hamels in the pitcher spot to sacrifice bunt Werth to 2nd.  Hamels laid down a perfect bunt and was safe at first due to bad communication from Wright and Schneider (3rd base and catcher for the Mets).  Bruntlett is the next batter, and he is batting in the 2 spot in the lineup.  The 2 spot is supposed to be the best bunter on the team.  He’s supposed to be able to move runners on the bases the best of anybody on the team.  Why Manuel had Bruntlett in that spot still baffles me.  Bruntlett fouled 3 straight bunt attempts for a strikeout; failing to move the runners over.  Next batter, Chase Utley grounded into an inning ending double play.  Even if Jimmy Rollins is out for the game tonight, Bruntlett better not be anywhere near the top of the order!

The Phillies ended up losing 4-3 to the Mets after 12 innings.  Jose Reyes started the bottom of the inning with a double off of Tom Gordon.  The next batter up, Angel Pagan, drove him in with a single to centerfield.  Jayson Werth got the ball and fired home for the closest play at the plate I’ve seen in a long time.  I watched many replays of it, and I think that Reyes was able to get his hand down on the plate just before Coste tagged him.  Coste did a great job of blocking the plate but Reyes was able to touch the plate with his hand.  At any rate, I could not see him being out because the play was so close, and a tie always goes to the runner.

Adam Eaton remains without a defeat in his career against the Mets.  Eaton gave up three runs over 6 innings.  Eaton struck out 5, walked 2, and only gave up 5 hits.  He was on the horn for the loss until the Phillies tied the game up in the 7th inning with a solo homerun from Ryan Howard, and a run scored by So Taguchi as a pinch runner for Pat Burrell.  Taguchi went from 1st to 3rd on a single by Geoff Jenkins, and was driven in on a groundball out by Pedro Feliz, who also hit a solo homerun in the 6th.

The bullpen pitched 5 scoreless innings after Eaton left the game, although they made my blood pressure raise from time to time.  They got into some big jams but were able to get out of them, until that run in the 12th.  JC Romero got out of the biggest jam after having Jose Reyes and David Wright perform a successful double steal.  He was able to strike out the next batter and get out of the inning without anything big happening.

It was a good, hard-fought game that hopefully foreshadows what the season series will be like.  I’m perfectly fine with having every game against the Mets be a battle.  I just hope that we come out on the winning end more than the losing.

Tonight Brett Myers (0-1, 6.30) takes on Carlos Zambrano (1-0, 1.32, 12 Ks) and the Chicago Cubs at home at 7:05 pm.  Zambrano is one of the most dominant right-handers out there, but hopefully our lineup full of lefties can give him some problems.

Here are the final offensive totals that I came up with on my scorecard from last nights game:

Shane Victorino CF:

1-3 (1 K, 1 BB, CS)

–Jayson Werth PH(for Eaton)/CF:

1-2 (1 BB)

Eric Bruntlett SS:

0-6 (2 Ks)

Chase Utley 2B:

1-5 (K, BB)

Ryan Howard 1B:

1-5 (HR, K, BB)

Pat Burrell LF:

0-1 (3 BB)

–So Taguchi PR/LF:

0-2 (1 Run, for Burrell)

Geoff Jenkins RF:

2-5 (2B, BB, reached on error)

Pedro Feliz 3B:

1-6 (HR, 2 RBI, 1 K)

Chris Coste C:

1-4 (2B, 1 K, 1 BB)

Adam Eaton P:

0-1 (Sac Bunt)

–Jimmy Rollins PH:

0-1 (K)

–Cole Hamels PH:

1-1

The Phillies have signed left-handed relief pitcher Steve Kline to a minor league contract.  He is headed to AAA Lehigh as a test to see if he can make the team.  It will take a lot of weight off of JC Romero if he pitches well considering it will put another lefty in the pen besides just him.

The Phillies lost to the Mets last night 8-2 dropping their record to 4-5 on the season. Kyle Kendrick took the loss even though he only gave up 1 earned run. The problem was that he gave up 6 unearned runs as the Phillies committed 4 errors in the game. Kendrick was pulled after recording only 1 out in the 3rd inning and giving up 6 walks. The Mets ended up scoring 6 runs in the inning. Carlos Ruiz had an error on a throw to 3rd base off of a bunt, and Jimmy Rollins’ sub, Eric Bruntlett, had 2 fielding errors in the inning. The game was a high pressure situation for Bruntlett to be in, and he was given a chance to really prove himself to Phillies fans and the rest of the club. Well his first impression was not a good one.

Pat Burrell went 2-4 and scored a run and that was just about the only positive the Phillies had going. The bullpen also only allowed 1 run after the third inning. The Phillies actually outhit the Mets in the game because errors do not count as hits for the offense.

Tonight’s game is at 7:10. Adam Eaton will take on John Maine who lost his first start of the season only going 4 innings and giving up 4 runs. Gametime temperature should be in the upper 50’s and there is a 10% chance of rain.

Look for Rollins to be back in the lineup if it is true that his ankle is okay and yesterday was simply a precaution. He played in all 162 games last year and I’m sure he is itching to get back on the field after what happened yesterday.

The Phillies beat the New York Mets 5-2 today.  Jamie Moyer was able to get the win by pitching 6 innings, giving up both of the runs in the game.  The bullpen had another good session getting scoreless innings from Chad Durbin, JC Romero, and Tom Gordon.  Gordon got the save by getting the Mets to go 1-2-3 in the 9th.

The Phillies waited until the 7th inning to start scoring and got three runs in the top of the inning.  The big play was a throwing error by Carlos Delgado on what should have been a double play hit by Ryan Howard.  Delgado fielded the ball then hit Utley with his throw to second base sending the ball into centerfield.  Both Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino score on the play.

Rollins scored and drove in a run in the 8th inning, but had to leave the game with a sprained left ankle after he crossed the plate.  The injury occured on a pickoff attempt at second base.  While Rollins was trying to get back to the base, his toe caught in the dirt causing him to roll over his ankle.  He was able to get up and continue enough to score the run but was very slow and was replaced in the field with Eric Bruntlett in the bottom half of the inning.  There is no word yet to the severity of the injury.

Chase Utley tied an MLB record today by getting hit by 3 pitches.  The Mets did not try to hit him, they were simply trying to pitch him inside.  Utley, who led the league in HBP last season and also missed time from getting hit by a pitch, could have easily gotten out of the way of all three pitches, but chose to take the base instead.  The last time he got hit, I saw him actually take a step in towards home plate with his left foot as the pitch was coming.  I’m all for earning a way on base as long as he doesn’t get hurt again by doing it.

Shane Victorino earned his worth today in my mind by going 2-4, but more importantly by chasing down several flyballs in centerfield.  His speed is unmatched in center, and he single-hadedly saved the Phillies 2 runs today with his defense.  He and rightfielder Jayson Werth collided on one play in deep right-centerfield.  Vic called the ball late, and Werth did not have time to get out of the way.  He was able to soften the blow by basically tackling Victorino.  The trainers came out to check on the players, but both were fine and remained in the game.

Moyer pitched well today but was not dominant by any means.  He showed his guile by getting out of a few jams.  He gave up a huge solo homerun to Delgado in the second, and loaded the bases twice in the 4th, but only gave up 2 runs total. 

Gordon got the save because regular closer Brad Lidge was unavailable after pitching in the last two ballgames.  The Phillies don’t want to overuse him when he is just coming back off of the DL.  They said that as of right now, he will not go three days in a row.

Once again I was keeping score during the game, and these are the batting totals I came up with for the Phils:

Jimm Rollins SS:

2-5 (2 Runs, 1 RBI)

Shane Victorino CF:

2-4 (1 Run, 1 BB)

Chase Utley 2B:

1-2 (2B, 1 Run, 1 RBI, 3 HBPs)

Ryan Howard 1B:

0-4 (1 RBI, 1 K, 1 BB)

Pat Burrell LF:

0-3 (1 K, 1 BB)

-So Taguchi PH/LF:

 0-2 (Sac Bunt)

Jayson Werth RF:

2-4 (1 RBI, 1 BB)

Pedro Feliz 3B:

0-4 (1 BB)

Carlos Ruiz C:

1-4 (1 Run, 1 BB)

Jamie Moyer P:

0-1 (Sac Bunt)

-Geoff Jenkins PH:

 0-1

The Phillies hit 4 home runs yesterday and earned a split in the series with Reds.  Final score of the game was 5-3.

Just as I said on the philadelphiaphillies.com message board before the game started; “Hamels goes into the 8th with a 3 run lead for the pen, we’re golden.”  Well that is exactly what happened.  Hamels had another great outing pitching 7 innings giving up 2 runs in the first, but only 1 was earned.  Brad Lidge came in to close out the game and gave up another unearned run do to an error by Feliz, and got his first save as a Phillie.

Jimmy Rollins lead off the game with a home run, and Pat Burrell hit one of his 2 home runs later in the 1st with Ryan Howard on base.  Both Burrell and Geoff Jenkins went deep back to back in the 3rd inning.  That was the end of the scoring for the Phillies.  Luckily the Reds got two runs in the first and didn’t score again until that 1 run in the 9th.

Pat Burrell went 2-4 with 2 HRs and 3 RBIs, and took over the batting average team lead from Chase Utley who was held 0-5 on the day.  J-Roll went 2-4 and raised his average to .300.

Today the Phillies start their first series with the New York Mets at Shea.  It is Opening Day at Shea today as the Mets make their home debut.  The game is scheduled to start at 1:10.  Jamie Moyer (0-0, 7.36) takes the mound against left-hander Oliver Perez (1-0, .00).  Perez was lights out against the Marlins in his first start.  He pitched 6 innings, gave up 5 hits, no runs, and struck out 8.  Look for Jayson Werth to get the start in RF since he has more success against lefties than Jenkins does.  I know I have been saying this for a while to start Werth instead of Jenkins, but I also said that it probably won’t happen until we see a left handed starter, which we are today.

The Phillies lost to the Reds today 8-2 dropping their overall record to 2-4.  Brett Myers picked up his first loss giving up 4 runs in 5 innings of work.  Clay Condrey came into the game in the 6th inning and imploded for 4 runs in the inning. 

Edinson Volquez was lights out with a fastball that reached 97 MPH in the top of the 6th inning, and a ridiculous changeup that fooled many Phillies bats.  He struck out 8 batters through 5 1/3 innings and only gave up 1 run.  He picked up right where he left off after having a fantastic spring and making the ball club as the 5th starter in the rotation.

Brad Lidge made his first appearance for the club.  Just like I expected, he was put in late in a blowout game for his first pitching session.  Lidge pitched a 1-2-3 8th inning striking out Ken Griffey, Jr. for one of the outs.  Lidge’s slider was very sharp.  Cinci batter had no chance against it.  It came in looking like a fastball then dropped right off of the plate quickly.  It was a ray of hope in an otherwise dreary game.

Chase Utley continued his hot streak going 2-4 with a double and a run scored.  Tomorrow he should continue his work as he has been dominating right handed pitching, as right-hander Bronson Arroyo will get the start for the Reds.  Cole Hamels will go for the Phillies.  Hopefully he can pitch as well as he did in his first start where he gave up just 1 run deep into the game.  The key for the Phillies is to get some run support to take pressure off our pitchers.

The game tomorrow is another day game, starting at 12:35 this time.  I know I said it before, but I really mean it this time that So Taguchi should see some time at CF instead of Shane Victorino.  Both Victorino and Geoff Jenkins have looked less than confident at the plate each striking out numerous times the last couple games.

Good News

Those “unbeatable” Mets with Johan Santana…they lost today.  The problem is that it was to other rival Atlanta.  Mets fans seemed to think he would win every single start he ever made.  Not quite.

Once again I kept score for the Phillies offense at home.  Here are the stats I came up with:

Jimmy Rollins SS:

1-4 (1 RBI, 1 K)

Shane Victorino CF:

0-4 (2 Ks)

Chase Utley 2B:

2-4 (2B, 1 Run)

Ryan Howard 1B:

0-3 (2 Ks, 1 BB)

Pat Burrell LF:

2-3 (1 RBI, 1 BB)

Geoff Jenkins RF:

1-4 (2 Ks)

Pedro Feliz 3B:

0-3 (2 Ks)

-Greg Dobbs:

 0-2

Carlos Ruiz C:

1-4 (1 Run, 1 K)

Brett Myers P:

0-1 (1 Sac Bunt)

-Eric Bruntlett PH:

 0-1

Yesterday:

Like I said shortly after the game finished yesterday, the Phillies lost on a walkoff single in the bottom of the 9th last night.  Ryan Howard went deep for the first time this season in the top of the 8th to take a 3-2 lead, only to have Corey Patterson knock one out in the bottom of the inning to tie it back up.  Chad Durbin came in the game to pitch the 9th inning and picked up the loss after starter Adam Eaton pitched 7 2/3 innings and gave up just 3 runs.  Chase Utley had another good game with his bat going 2-3 with a double, a walk, scoring another run, and getting another RBI.  All the RBIs came from the hear of the order with Utley, Howard, and Burrell each driving in one run.

Today:

The Phillies take on the Reds at Great American Ballpark today at 1:15 pm.  Brett Myers gets his second start of the season.  He will take on 24 year old righty Edison Volquez.  This is Volquez’s first full season in the Majors.  He came up with the Texas Rangers and is 3-11 with a 7.20 ERA in 17 starts.  I look for the Phillies to really try to produce some runs the small way today so that they can get some better support for Brett Myers.  7 runs seems to be a good number to try to reach to give some room for the pitchers to give up some hits.

I have yet to watch the game from today, but I looked at the final score.  The Phillies lost to the Reds 4-3 on an RBI from Paul Bako.  I will watch the game later today to get the full recap.  Adam Eaton went a strong 7 2/3 innings giving up only 3 runs.  He gave up a solo home run to Corey Patterson with 2 outs in the bottom of the eighth and was removed for Tom Gordon who finished the inning.  Chad Durbin came in for the 9th inning and picked up the loss for the Phillies.

All of you who have been hating on Adam Eaton will have to hold your tongues until at least next week.  He was very serviceable today, especially for the 5th starter.

Chase Utley hit his 99th and 100th career homeruns last night leading the Phillies to an 8-4 victory over the Reds. Utley finished the night 2-4 with a walk and 2 HRs, 3 runs scored and 3 runs driven in. Pat Burrell added a 2 run homerun of his own in the first inning. The Phillies put up three runs in the top of the first, and Kyle Kendrick was able to hold the Reds to only 1 run after getting into a bases loaded jam.

Kendrick got the win by pitching 5+ innings and giving up 4 runs. He had 1-2-3 innings in both the 2nd and 5th, but struggled to find his control in the other innings. He threw a lot of sliders and off-speed pitches, but couldn’t ever get the command necessary to dominate. He was giving up a lot of contact but luckily the defense was strong behind him, and he was able to get outs when he needed them.

For the second game in a row, the Phillies bullpen performed amazingly. The pen combined to pitch 4 scoreless innings. Madson pitched 2 innings, Seanez came in for the 8th, and Romero closed the game by pithcing a 1-2-3 9th inning. Brad Lidge is available to come off the DL for todays game, but I have yet to hear word as to if he actually is going to or not. Even if he does make his return today, don’t expect him to pitch in a closer role. I think that Romero will probably close today if the opportunity arises, and Lidge will be used if we either have a big lead or are down by a lot. It’s his first game back and I don’t think he should be thrown into the pressure situation of saving the game right away.

The Phillies used both small and big ball to win the game today. In the first inning, Jimmy Rollins got a lead off single, advanced to second on a walk to Chase Utley, advanced to third on a throwing error by the pitcher when he tried to pick him off at second, and then came in to score on a Sac fly by Ryan Howard. Burrell came to bat next and hit a 2 run homer to drive in Utley.

Rollins was on base in the third when Utley hit his first homerun. He also drove in Pedro Feliz in the 4th by grounding out to the right side of the infield after Feliz was advanced with a sacrifice bunt from pitcher Kyle Kendrick. Utley led off the 5th with his 100th home run of his career, and the Phillies added another run in the 9th after So Taguchi doubled to lead off the inning, was advanced to third by a ground ball from Rollins and driven in on a single from Shane Victorino.

Victorino did not look very confident at the plate again yesterday. He struck out twice, grounded out once, and had a sac bunt before he singled in the 9th with two strikes on him. I’m not calling for it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if So Taguchi gets some playing time in CF sometime this weekend.

Jenkins looked equally as unimpressive going 0-4 striking out 3 times. The Reds don’t have any left handed starters in their rotation so I’m not sure if Charlie will go with Jayson Werth in right against a righty or just let Jenkins figure out his swing.

In non-Phillies notes; one of my all time favorite players passed Reggie Jackson on the all time RBI list in yesterday’s game. Ken Griffey, Jr., drove in 2 runs to move up to 16th on the all time RBI list.

Today’s game is one of 4 straight day games for the Phillies. Hopefully this one won’t have any rain delays and will start at the scheduled time of 1:05. Adam Eaton takes the mound today for his first start of the 2008 season. He will face Reds ace Aaron Harang. Harang lost his first decision of the year but only gave up 2 runs through 6 innings. Most fans have already written off Eaton this year saying that we should start Myers today since he has had 5 days of rest. All of these people are fools. You NEVER move to a 4 man rotation to start your season! The only time that I see it as being acceptable is when you are coming down the stretch and making a playoff push. The man has yet to throw one pitch this season, yet you are already trying to take the ball out of his hand. Yes, he did struggle some last season, but that was last year! Maybe he has made some changes and is ready for a comeback year. We need to give him a chance.

As usual, I kept a scorecard at home for the Phillies offense. Here are the totals I came up with:

Jimmy Rollins

2-5 (2B, 2 runs, 1 RBI)

Shane Victorino

1-4 (1 RBI, Sac Bunt, 2 Ks)

Chase Utley

2-4 (2 HR, 1 BB, 3 runs, 3 RBI)

Ryan Howard

0-4 (Sac Fly, 1 RBI, 2 Ks)

Pat Burrell

2-3 (2B, HR, BB, 2 RBI, 1 run)

Geoff Jenkins

0-4 (3 Ks)

Pedro Feliz

1-3 (BB, run)

Carlos Ruiz

1-4 (1 K)

Kyle Kendrick

0-2 (Sac Bunt, K)

So Taguchi

1-1 (2B, Run)

So maybe I was a little quick to judge. Yes the defense in the first 4 innings was awful, but now the Phillies have tied it back up at 6-6 in the 6th inning with only 1 out and a man on first and second. Shane Victorino led the inning off with a groundout to the first basemen, and then the next 7 batters singled!

Still updating…

Victorino makes it 8 singles and we take the lead!

Chase Utley just grounded into an inning ended, bases loaded, 3-2-3 double play. After 6 the score is Phillies 7, Nats 6.

*Update*

JC Romero gave up 1 run in the top of the 8th to make it a 7-7 game. Eric Bruntlett led off the bottom of the 8th with a single, and was moved over to third after the Nationals chose to intentionally walk both Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. They then pitched at Jayson Werth and got him to ground out to short.

Tom Gordon loaded up the bases in the top of the 9th inning, but was able to get out of the jam. Geoff Jenkins lead off the bottom of the 9th with a double to the right field corner. For some reason unbeknownst to me, Pedro Feliz did not bunt him over to third! There was nobody out. If he bunted Jenkins over to third, there would have been 1 out, and a man on third. A FLY BALL WOULD HAVE WON THE GAME. But no. Feliz swung away and popped up the first pitch to short. Jenkins was stranded. The game is now in extra innings.

*Update*

Once again the Nats have walked Utley and Howard to load the bases and pitch to Jayson Werth. This time there is only one out. J-Roll led off the inning with a single and was bunted to second by Victorino. Rollins continued to third once he realized nobody was covering the bag.

Now with the bases loaded, Colome just walked two straight batters and must try to pitch to the third. It is a very difficult situation to be in. The count is 3-0, and….

PHILLIES WIN!!!

Ball 4. Jayson Werth gets the game winning RBI by drawing the walk. J-Roll trots in to win the game!

I will get the stats for the game and upload my scorecard a little later tonight.

So far in today’s game, the Phillies have committed 4 errors!  Jamie Moyer gave up 5 runs in the top of the first, but only 3 were earned thanks to 2 fielding errors.  Jimmy Rollins (Gold Glove winner Jimmy Rollins) committed yet another error. 

The 6th inning has had 2 great defensive plays though.  Geoff Jenkins made a spectacular diving catch in right on Nats pitcher Bergmann to record Rudy Seanez’s first out as a Phillie.  Chris Coste, who hit a home run in the first pitch he saw this season, made a great play on a swinging bunt by Guzman on the very next play.  He jumped on the ball on the third baseline and was able to fire to first and nail Guzman thanks to a great stretch by Howard.

It’s now the bottom of the 6th, and Burrell just drove in Chase Utley to make the game 2-6.  Burrell’s single is the 3rd straight single of the inning.  All 4 batters have hit the ball very hard off of Bergmann this inning.

Will update as game goes on

If you tuned in late to the game tonight you might have missed it. It took about 2 hours and 15 minutes. The reason it was so short…the Phillies got 1 hit and lost 1-0. Cole Hamels looked very good in his first start of the year giving up only one run in 8 innings of work on a solo homer to Ryan Zimmerman. Pedro Feliz got the lone hit for the Phillies.

Jimmy Rollins led off the bottom of the 9th inning with what I thought was going to be a leadoff double, but the Nats were shifted defensively to prevent a double. Rollins’ shot down the first base line was easily fielded by Nick Johnson for the first out, and the Phillies went quietly.

Gametime tomorrow is 1:05. Jamie Moyer takes on right-hander Jason Bergmann.

It’s official.  The Phillies announced the signing of relief pitcher Rudy Seanez today.  Wes Helms was released in order to make room for Seanez on the roster.  Helms will have a 10 day period where he can be signed by any team for the league minimum contract.

Brad Lidge comes back on Saturday, and from what I’ve heard, it seems like Tim Lahey will be released to make room for him.  It is suspected that Lahey will go to the Twins or back to the Cubs.

Philadelphia goes for its first win of the season against the Nationals tonight at 7:05 et.  Cole Hamels will take on Tim Redding.