Liberty Ball

The Philadelphia Phillies  found their replacement for Jayson Werth(Left as a  free agent after 2010)  in right field Friday July 29th with a major trade, acquiring All Star OF Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros. The price was costly  as they shipped out 3 prospects(2 among the top 40 in Baseball,according to mlb.com rankings)  and  a player to be named,the 3 headed to Houston  are:  1B-OF Jonathan Singleton(#37), RHPs Jarred Cosart(#38) and Josh Zeid . Pence provides Philadelphia a long coveted right-handed bat, who has posted good numbers all season(.309 batting avg, .356 On base, .471 slugging percentage with 11 home runs, 62 rbi and 7 stolen bases) . He is making $6.25 million this season and will be under club control til 2013.  The 1st place Phils have been a bit hamstrung at the spot all season with an early spring training injury to top prospect Domonic Brown setting the tone. Ben Francisco has shown to be a 4th outfielder , so an everyday player was needed for this spot. Look for the Phillies new right fielder to bat 5th in the lineup,in a related move, the team sent Brown down to Triple A Lehigh Valley. 

Rest easy Philadelphia, the “Doc” does not need to see a doctor! Roy Halladay(12-4,2.55), the staff leader on and off the field, returned to his normal dominant form July 24th ,leading the Phillies to a 5-3 victory over the San Diego Padres. After leaving his last start July 16th in the 4th inning with  heat exhaustion, he pitched 8 innings in the 94 degree heat at Citizens Bank Park allowing 8 hits and 3 runs(2 earned) while striking out 8 and walking 1! His ridiculous K to walk ratio on the year is now 147(Ks) to 19!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hope Philly fans realize how good this guy is and more importantly, how good this rotation group is. It is almost impossible for this club to have a sustained losing streak with the quality of starting pitchers they present on a daily basis. When Vance Worley(6-1,2.02 in 10 starts) is your #4 starter, you are good! Not hard to see why this team is 64-36 as of July 24th.

LIDGE RETURNS: The team welcomed back veteran RP Brad Lidge(Shoulder) from the DL July 22nd after he had missed the entire season. The 9 year major leaguer did not blow a save in the Phillies World Championship run in 2008(41 for 41) but will not close for the team, according to Manager Charlie Manuel. Both Ryan Madson(8th inning,17 saves,3 holds) and Antonio Bastardo( 8 saves in as many chances) have pitched great and will keep their roles. Look for the player friendly Manuel to ease Lidge back into the flow and the veteran will play a key role late in the season.  

RYAN RIGHT: I always talk about Manuel and the underrated job he does with this club, look no further than the July 23rd 8-6 win vs San Diego. He rests(Only for the 2nd time all season)  1B Ryan Howard(Team leading 19 homers,75 rbi), who was in a post All Star Break 3 for 26 funk, and had only 3 extra base hits in all of July. “He needs some time in the batting cage.” was Manuel’s pre-game quote. But the slugger came off the bench for a huge game tying pinch hit homer in the 6th.  Plain and simple: Players love Manuel and anytime you want references, google his name and future hall of famer Jim Thome(about to hit 600 homers).

OSWALT, POLANCO UPDATES:  Veteran RHSP Roy Oswalt(Back inflammation) threw a 40-pitch bullpen pre game July 24th and had no issues. He will start a rehab game for AAA Lehigh Valley July 27th. “I feel good.” said Oswalt, who has been on the DL since June 24th. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. wants to see the veteran at 100% health wise before determining a date for his return. 3B Placido Polanco(Bulging disk in back) took 40 swings pre game July 24th and hopes to be able to start a rehab assignment in the middle of the week. The all star was DL-ed July 15th and received an epidural injection on July 21st to help the healing process.  

The 2011 Philadelphia Phillies continue to play winning baseball, standing at 59-35 as of July 17th. This team has tremendous, tremendous high end talent(OBVIOUSLY!!!) but one of the hidden strengths of this ball club during this season has been the contributions of the entire roster from man #1 to #25. You can talk about SPs Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels but names like Vance Worley(5-1, 2.15 ERA in 11 games, 9 starts)  and Antonio Bastardo(18 game scoreless streak snapped Sunday July 17th)  have been huge for this pitching staff. Back ups like INF Wilson Valdez as well as OFs Ben Francisco and John Mayberry Jr(recently) have also filled in, contributing both offensively and defensively to the success of the club. This is a team and you begin to realize that the more you follow them on a day to day basis like I do. 

MASH UNIT: Lets run thru the health issues with 3 of the Phillies stars. 1st, all star 3B Placido Polanco(Bulging disk in his back) has participated in batting practice for  two days(Friday and Saturday,July 15th and 16th) but is sore and not sure if he will come off the DL Wednesday July 20th.  He was planning on resting Saturday. CF Shane Victorino(Sprained thumb) was progressing well in his rehab as a DH and was set to play the field Sunday July 17th. If all goes well,he could rejoin the big club as early as Monday July 18th. Former closer Brad Lidge(Shoulder) continues to work in almost a spring training type mode to rebuild arm strength. He is probably looking at a late August return.  Veteran RHSP Roy Oswalt(Back) is scheduled to throw off a mound Tuesday and again Friday. Team doctors say he is progressing well. 

MARTINEZ THE MAN: 28 year old rookie INF Michael Martinez hit his 1st ML homer(3 run shot) while driving in 4 runs in the 8-5 win over the New York Mets Sunday July 17th. The  rule 5 pick up from Washington is a defensive specialist who was hitting .213 in 89 at bats prior to the game. 

Philadelphia Phillies  3B Placido Polanco will miss the  All Star game this Tuesday July 12th due to a bulging disk in his back. The veteran has not played since July 4th and will use the break to rest and treat the injury. Polanco(.274,4 home runs, 39 rbi)  will go to the game in Arizona  but will not participate in the contest. With the time off he hopes to be ready for the start of the 2nd half this Friday in New York vs the Mets. Polanco’s back has been bothering him for about a month and he is taking anti-inflammatory oral medication to deal with the pain. If their is no improvement by the end of the week, The Phillies medical team would consider injections as the next treatment option. 

To say this past week has been a mixed bag for Philadelphia Phillies CF Shane Victorino might be an understatement! On Sunday July 3rd he injured his right thumb while tumbling in center, spraining the joint. The team placed the popular hawaiian on the 15 day disabled list Friday July 8th,however the injury is  only  a partial tear and he hopes to be back immediately when he is eligible July 19th. To make the pain of the injury even worse, Victorino(.303 Batting average , 9 home runs, 34 rbi, 13 steals) won the NL Final  vote competition July 7th but will not be able to participate in the All Star game. However, he plans on joining Phillies teammates 3B Placido Polanco, LHSPs Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels as well as RHSP Roy Halladay in Arizona to be part of the festivities at the Mid Summer classic this Tuesday July 12th. 

The 4 time defending National League East champion Philadelphia Phillies continue to win(52-31 as of July 1st) with their formula of dominant pitching and opportunistic hitting. The team does not rank higher than 17th(out of 30 ML teams) in any major offensive category: 17th in runs, 20th in batting average, 19th in on base and 22nd in slugging.  Pitching is the motor that drives this engine and the stats do not lie: 1st in ERA and quality starts, 2nd in WHIP and 6th in batting average against. When you consider this team is on it’s fourth string closer(More on this below) and has not skipped a beat, you realize how good and DEEP this pitching staff is. Unbelievable job by both pitching coach Rich Dubee and manager Charlie Manuel.

MADSON DL-ED: The Phillies DL-ed their 4th closer in 2011(and most effective) RH Ryan Madson(3-1,2.03 ERA, 15 of 16 saves in 31 games) due to a bruise on his right hand on June 28th and the move is retroactive to June 19th. A cortisone injection did not help with the pain and the team decided to be cautious. Philadelphia entered spring training with veteran Brad Lidge(shoulder) as closer and have now seen Madson as well as RH Jose Conteras(two separate arm issues) hit the DL. LH Antonio Bastardo,3-0,0.90 ERA, takes over in the closing role and is now a perfect 4 for 4 in save opportunities.

CLIFF OWNS JUNE: 2011 free agent signing LH Cliff Lee is usually good but he was disgusting in June: 5-0,0.21 ERA in 5 starts!!! More incredibly, he closed the month with 3 consecutive complete game shutouts!!!! When you outpitch Roy Halladay(3-0,2.00 in 5 starts) , you have had a good month!

ROLLINS, HAMELS UPDATES: Two key member of the club are battling injuries, SS Jimmy Rollins and LHSP Cole Hamels. Hamels has a badly bruised and swollen right hand after taking a line drive of it in his start Thursday June 30th. He was pulled after 4th innings and will throw a bullpen session Saturday July 2nd. After that, the team will have a better idea if he can make his next start Tuesday at the Florida Marlins. SS Jimmy Rollins DH-ed Friday with Manuel sighting giving the veteran a day to rest his legs as a reason. However, he is battling some soreness in his right shoulder. The injury is not considered serious or listed on the team’s injury report.