Phillies Nation

The City Line

Posted by Brian Michael, Fri, March 31, 2006 08:21 PM

Sorry to all of you for missing last week (especially since it was only the second week), but I can assure you that will not happen again the rest of the season.  Speaking of the season, yeah that’s right it is only three days away!  I love this time of year.  The anticipation is like a kid waiting for Christmas morning to come.  For some reason this year feels different too.  I feel a little more of a spring in my step.  I am feeling down right giddy and I think I know why.  Something tells me (and Jonah Keri of Baseball Prospectus) that

                                    THE PHILLIES ARE GOING TO WIN THE NL EAST

I am sure some of you are thinking that it is easy for me to make this prediction considering I write a weekly column for a Phillies blog and therefore I am obviously a Philles fan, but I am no homer.  If I thought the Phillies were going to be bad I would write that and support my statement, just like I plan on supporting the claim of a division championship. 

I am not going cover all the topics that have been beaten to a pulp as to why the Phillies can be better than last year, although I agree with statements such as Utley and Howard seem destine to be perennial All Stars, Rowand makes us stronger up the middle, etc, etc. I will focus on three reasons as to why I am willing to make such an audacious prediction. 

First, I think Jimmy Rollins finally "gets it."  Jayson Stark’s article on ESPN.com illustrated that to me.  He has also become the national face of the Phillies with features in USA Today, Sports Illustrated and many others.  It is easy to forget that Jimmy is only 27 years old.  He held his current hitting streak together, not in garbage time, but in the heat of a wild card race.  That proves to me he will not melt in the spotlight.  With him confidently, but not cockily, setting the table for the meat of the Phillies lineup the Phils will score runs.  Also, let’s not forget that Jimmy may be the best defensive SS in the NL.

Second I believe that Spring Training did mean something to these Phillies.  They have been playing winning baseball throughout the Spring and I believe that will carry over to April and the beginning of the season.  If you think back to last year, and even the Phils under Larry Bowa, it was horrid Aprils that sunk this teams chances.  A solid effort in April last year and we are the Wild Card team.  I realize the Astros last year dug themselves out of a huge April hole, but that is surely the exception and not the rule my friends. 

Finally, is it just me, or do these not seem like the same Phillies as last year.  They all seem to have something to prove.  Burrell wants to prove that he is not mad that his buddy J-Mike was traded away and that his .209 season was an anomaly to what he can really do.  Abreu wants to prove that the Phils made a good move in not trading him, the entire pitching staff feels they have been disrespected, Manuel wants to prove he is no country bumpkin, et al.  Ultimately I decided I would make this prediction today when the rotation was announced and Franklin was put in the pen to handle 7th inning duties while Floyd was awarded that 5th spot in the starting rotation.  It was said that Gillick brought in Franklin because he was one of his guys.  Franklin had a good spring, but Floyd had a better spring and more importantly Gillick (and Manuel) did not force his guy down the fans throats a la Ed Wade and the Paul Abbott show. 

It just feels like a breath of fresh air has been injected into this team for the upcoming 2006 season.  These facts along with both the Mets and Braves having glaring weaknesses (not that the Phillies do not have weakness) give the Phils as good a shot as any team to win the NL East.  Hopefully, not for me because I can handle the criticism, for us my prediction won’t look bad at the end of April, will look good in July at the All Star break, and will come to be in September.

        And that’s the story from the City Line for this week.

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Shakeup in the Phillies Rotation

Posted by Brian Michael, Thu, March 30, 2006 09:26 AM

The Phillies web site reported last night that Gavin Floyd will most likely be the Phillies fifth starter.  There have never been any plans to have Floyd move to the bullpen, so his options have either been start for the Phillies or start for the Red Barons.  The announcement yesterday stated that he would stay on the Phillies roster while Brito and Tejeda would be sent down; thus one can only assume Floyd won the final spot.  No official announcement has been made by the Phillies but as the hours to Opening Day count down Manuel is likely to name both his final rotation and Monday’s starter by this weekend.   "We’re not talking," said Manuel, who made the decision on Tuesday but has chosen to keep it a secret.

Floyd of course came into spring training with little chance to make the roster due to his dreadful performance last season.  But apparently low expectations make it easy to impress.  According to Manuel, "He exceeded my expectations, because he wasn’t a guy who would’ve even been considered for somewhere in the pitching staff."  Gavin is 4-0 in six games this spring with a 2.08 ERA, 15 strikeouts and 7 walks. 

This news of course begs the question: who will be demoted to the bullpen, Ryan Franklin or Ryan Madson?  Madson has had a similarly excellent spring going 2-0 in five games though Franklin has pitched well himself.  The inside track though belongs to Franklin who will likely fulfill Madson’s old role as setup man for the setup man (i.e. 7th inning work).  Many have questioned Franklin’s ability to seriously improve the Phillies rotation so a bullpen spot might seem a better fit.  As for Floyd, it’s always a good idea to keep a hot player playing, so I am glad he is getting another chance.  However his success in spring training will not cancel out his previously dismal stints in the big leagues.  Therefore Manuel and Rich Dubee will have some close observing to do as Floyd will likely be on a short lease.  There’s nothing like a little pitching controversy to kick this season off right!

Other roster moves to note:  Ricardo Rodriguez was released, Danny Sandoval was optioned to the minors, and Chris Booker was put on the 15-day DL with right-knee inflammation.  Chris Coste, Tomas Perez, and Chris Roberson are still looking to secure the final spot on the roster; unless, as stated before, the Phils pick up a veteran left-handed bat to come off the bench.

UPDATE:  It’s official!  From Phillies.com:  Manuel made official on Thursday what had been speculated for the past 24 hours: Gavin Floyd and Ryan Madson earned the final two spots in the rotation, and Ryan Franklin will work the seventh inning out of the bullpen.  "[Gavin] earned it and can help us," Manuel said. "He’s getting a chance. And he can get [beat up] and still get another chance. He’s going to hold his own. I think he’s going to be pretty good. He’s getting a good chance to establish himself in the Major Leagues.

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All Rhodes Lead to the Eighth

Posted by Brian Michael, Wed, March 29, 2006 06:57 PM

The Phillies will have two new setup men in the bullpen this season.  Of course Tom Gordon will be moving back into the closer role, while Arthur Rhodes will have the task of setting the table in the eighth.  Rhodes, who came to the Phillies from Cleveland for Jason Michaels, is expected to play an important role this season as Uggie Urbina’s replacement.  So what should we expect from the guy?  Well essentially, he’s not much different than Urbina, or even Tom Gordon for that matter (FanGraphs chart the similarities well).  An ankle injury in 2003, as well as other more recent minor injuries, have affected his mechanics and taken a bit of his velocity.  His fastball tops off in the mid 90s, but is most effective when combined with his hard slider. 

ESPN’s scouting report claims Rhodes has been tough on left-handed hitters; but actually they have higher offensive numbers against the similarly left-handed Rhodes.  One stat that jumps off the page is the fact that in the past three years, right-handed batters have scored 61 runs against Rhodes while left-handed batters have score exactly zero runs.

So far in seven appearances this spring Rhodes has pitched six innings, allowing one run on four hits with five strikeouts and no walks.  Uncle Charlie has commented that, ”Arthur has looked very good.  He’s in good shape, is throwing good, and has had a good spring. We’re going to use him in the eighth inning.”  Of course they’re gonna use him, Rhodes is another member of the Pat Gillick society - the two were together in Baltimore and Seattle.

Last season, the 36-year-old was primarily used as a setup man in the seventh and eighth innings and went 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 47 appearances.  He didn’t pitch much in the last two months of the season as he left the Indians to first due to a personal matter  (Aug. 2 - 12), then on the 15-day DL with an inflamed right knee (though he wasn’t really injured), then family illness (Sept 14-end of season).  Although some time off for the veteran may be required this season, the Phils will be in trouble if Rhodes misses this many games again this season.  Backup setup men might include the Julio Sanata or the inconsistent Rheal Cormier.

On a few occasions in his career he was given the job as a closer, but proved not to be up for the job.  In 2004, he blew 5 of 14 save opportunities before being reverted back to a setup man.  Last season, he was 0-for-3 in save opportunities.  "I don’t want to talk about closing," he said. "It’s totally different."  Hopefully, Manuel won’t give him the opportunity to add to his blown saves total, but this brings up an interesting article from Baseball Prospectus about new ways to judge middle relievers like Rhodes.  Keith Woolner is tinkering with the idea of introducing some new stats to the position which up to now could only garner "holds."  Here are his preliminary ideas:

1. Shutdown (the opponent): pitcher enters the game with the tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck, pitches 3 or fewer innings, and never loses the lead.
2. Slam (the door on them): pitcher enters the game with the tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck, pitches 3 or fewer innings, never loses the lead, and finishes the game.
3. Cough (up the lead): pitcher enters the game with the tying run either on base, at bat, or on deck, pitches 3 or fewer innings, and loses the lead.
4. Choke (away the lead): pitcher enters the game with the lead, but the tying run not on base, at bat, or on deck, pitches 3 or fewer innings, and loses the lead.  
5. Cinch: pitcher enters the game with the lead, but the tying run not on base, at bat, or on deck, pitches 3 or fewer innings, and never loses the lead.
6. Stem (the bleeding): pitcher enters without a lead, and down by no more than 2 runs, and exits without letting the lead exceed 2 runs.  
7. Letdown: pitcher enters without a lead, and down by no more than 2 runs, and allows the lead to exceed 2 runs.
8. Mopup: pitcher enters with the score down by more than two runs, and leaves without his team tying or taking the lead, regardless of outcome.

Choke is one of the more interesting concepts in the lot.  It helps to quantify something most of us know, but can’t always express in words, you know like "clutch."  For instance, Jose Mesa is near the top of the list in career chokes with 4 - many witnessed personally.  So with this useful new criteria in place, we’ll be able to chart Arthur Rhodes performance this season, but if it in anyway approaches Mesa-like pitching, we’re not gonna need them.

UPDATE:  Arthur Rhodes pitched one inning tonight in the Phillies’ 3-0 win against the Yankees earning him a "shutdown."  Tom Gordon recorded a "cinch" and Robinson Tejeda got the save.

P.S.:  The Phillies traded Aquilino Lopez to the Padres for minor league outfielder Matt Thayer and third baseman Trey Johnston.  Thayer hit .337 in 63 combined games with Class-A Lake Elsinore, Class-A Fort Wayne and the rookie league Arizona Padres. Johnson hit .302 over 20 games with the Arizona League Padres.

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Don’t Mess With Howard

Posted by Brian Michael, Sun, March 26, 2006 08:05 PM

Ryan Howard was very close to joining former teammate Uggie Urbina today.  After a shouting match with Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett, Howard threw down his glove and approached the Sox bench and if he and Beckett would have tussled, the pitcher would have surely been ripped limb-from-limb.  Ryan Howard looked mad, real mad. 

The confrontation began when Howard hit a long fly ball to center - as he tends to do - and he stopped for a moment to watch it.  Howard claims he lost sight of the ball and was trying to pinpoint its location, but a second later he would have easily found it in the glove of the Red Sox centerfielder.  The putout was aided by a strong wind blowing in and probably otherwise would have been Howard’s eleventh homer of spring.  But that didn’t matter to Josh Beckett who promptly chastised Howard’s antics as he jogged back to the dugout.  Beckett went on to retire the side, but upon his return to the bench, he continued to jar with Howard as Ryan took his position at first.  The shouting intensified, and the angry Ryno slowly approached the Red Sox dugout, dropping his glove like a Broad Street Bully in the process.  If you saw the game, you would have noticed how enraged the 25-year old was and that he eventually had to be partly restrained by his teammates - who at this point had cleared the bench and bullpen. 

According to Beckett, "I kind of wanted to make a point — that you look like a jackass whenever you hit a ball like that and you’re out."  He’s right, although everyone likes to admire Ryan Howard’s home runs if you happen to be Ryan Howard, you should be running the bases; even if you can’t find the ball, no one will ever fault you for dropping your bat and hustling down to first.  The youngster has to learn this if he wants to avoid the fan-unfriendly reputation this practice carries (see Barry Bonds or Ken Griffey, Jr.).  While it certainly isn’t habitual, it has happened before, despite these two quotes.

From Jayson Stark:  But as someone who has watched a lot of Ryan Howard, I don’t recall that he’d ever done any previous Reggie Jackson look-at-me acts after hitting any previous bombs, whether they landed on the warning track or in some South Philadelphian’s family room. So something just didn’t compute here.

From Beckett:  He didn’t do that last year, when he won [NL] Rookie of the Year and hit a bunch of home runs … so I don’t know. I guess you get one year in the big leagues and things just change.

Last season, quite publicly, Howard was caught admiring a drive to deep center that was eventually caught at the warning track.   As Howard is set to begin his first full season in the big leagues, he would do well to simply run to first and avoid any problems like those which occurred today.

This is where the praise comes in though, because we know that if there is ever a problem, Ryan Howard will solve it.  Phillies pitchers should rest easy knowing that Howard is only a few yards from intercepting any potential mound chargers.  Yet, the best lesson learned today can be found in the intensity shown today by Howard.  From what we have seen of the young first baseman so far, he certainly fits some bipolar characteristics.  On the one hand he can swat Ruthian blasts with a flick of the wrist, while on the other, as Jayson Stark notes, he has the reputation of a gentle giant.  Today’s between-inning performance showed that there is a bridge connecting the two sides of Ryan Howard.  He is not simply a gentle giant; rather, brewing within him is the competitive fire required by those who intend to lead a team to post-season success.  Not that Ryan Howard needed a coming out party, but today he gave notice that he means business and hopefully the rest of the club got the memo.  Remember in 1993 when Tommy Greene plunked a Dodger during Spring Training and sparked a bench clearing brawl all because he was afraid of the wrath of Dave Hollins if he didn’t?  It’s kinda like that.

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New Broadcasting Schedule Released

Posted by Brian Michael, Thu, March 23, 2006 11:25 AM

The Phillies have announced their new (revised) broadcasting schedule for television and radio, it is as follows:

On Television
Innings 1-3 - Harry Kalas (play-by-play) & Larry Andersen (color)
Innings 4-6 - Scott Graham (play-by-play) & Chris Wheeler (color)
Innings 7-9 - Harry Kalas (play-by-play) & Chris Wheeler (color)
Sunday Pregame Show - Scott Palmer

On Radio
Pregame Show - Scott Franzke
Innings 1-3 - Scott Graham (play-by-play) & Chris Wheeler (color)
Inning 4       - Harry Kalas (play-by-play) & Larry Andersen (color)
Innings 5-6 - Scott Franzke (play-by-play) & Larry Andersen (color)
Innings 7-9 - Scott Graham (play-by-play)  & Larry Andersen (color)
Postgame Show - Scott Franzke

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Phillies vs. Braves - A Season Preview?

Posted by Brian Michael, Wed, March 22, 2006 06:10 PM

Today the Phillies battled the Braves, came back from a 2 run deficit but then blew a 2 run lead and ended the game with 4-4 tie.  Ryan Franklin started and his sinker was looking great early on as he struck out 4 through two and a third.  For the most part he looked sharp overall, keeping the ball down and causing the Braves to ground out.  He worked quickly, which may have helped him throw strikes and even picked off Marcus Giles at first.  His first hit allowed came when he gave up a home run to Andruw Jones off a breaking ball.  His second hit came in the fifth and was another homer - this time to Jeff Franceour.  His decent pitching overall kept runners off the base so they were both only solo shots, but let’s leave the Clemens or Schilling comparisons for another day.  Franklin also laid down a nice bunt with two strikes to advance two runners in the fifth.  Ruben Amaro, Jr. was in the broadcast booth during the sixth inning and said he would take Franklin’s starting line of today anytime - so would I for that matter.

                        IP        H       R      ER      BB     SO     HR      ERA
Franklin          5.0      3     2      2      2      4      2      3.57

Amaro also witnessed Ryan Howard give the Phillies the lead with his ninth home run of the spring, mammoth 3-run shot in the sixth.  Then Yoel Hernandez promptly blew the lead in the seventh.  First he walked Todd Pratt to lead off who later scored the Braves’ third run on a sacrifice fly.  Pratt was on third after advancing on what was scored as a wild pitch, but in actuality was a poorly played passed ball by Sal Fasano.  Hernandez also unimpressively walked the pitcher to keep the Braves rally going.

Chris Roberson started in leftfield today and went 3 for 5 scoring the Phillies first run.  He had a stolen base but was also thrown out once.  Amaro mentioned him while in the booth and said "he is doing a nice job."  But listening between the lines, his inflection sounded as if he’ll be in starting the season in AAA as most have assumed.  Charlie Manuel was quoted earlier in the week saying, "Do we want him just sitting there? He’s right in the mix, [but] we want an experienced bat, somebody who can consistently hit the ball out of the yard."  The rumors abound are that the Phils are looking to pick up a veteran left-handed bat to come off the bench and would fill the 25th roster spot.

Finally, also making a stop in to broadcast booth was the Braves GM John Schuerholz out plugging his new book, Built to Win: Inside Stories and Leadership Strategies from Baseball’s Winningest GM.  Needless to say, I’ve already preordered a copy and am having it delivered to 1 Citizens Bank Way.

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Nippon Seishou

Posted by Brian Michael, Tue, March 21, 2006 08:35 AM

While the Phillies were Clearwater yesterday knocking around Johan Santana and improving to a Grapefruit League leading 12-6 record (their first winning spring in seven years), Team Japan was in San Diego taking care of some international business.  The one island nation defeated the other island nation, Cuba, to take home the inaugural World Baseball Classic by a score of 10-5.  I know the Phils are hotter than the sands of Siesta Key, but I feel we should take a moment to recognize the WBC and its implications on the Phils.

Ever wonder why the Phillies don’t have any Asian players on their roster?  I have.  I realize though Philadelphia has had a history of being the late-comer to diversity.  The Phillies were the last National League team to have an African-American on the roster.  The famous Supreme Court case Flood v. Kuhn which challenged the game’s reserve clause, came about in part because Curt Flood refused to be traded to such a racist town.  While I do believe the city has shed most of its racist past, the ballclub has yet to completely embrace the globalization of baseball. 

Baseball has been played internationally for over a century so it should be no surprise there is big league talent out there waiting undiscovered.  For more information on the history of baseball in Japan, might I suggest reading my 2001 essay entitled Baseball Diplomacy in the United States and Japan: From Ichiko to Ichiro.  But still, it has taken a tournament such as this WBC (the Olympics were simply not as popular) for MLB people to recognize the talent out there.  For this, Bud Selig should be commended and should consider taking a page out of Paul Tagliabue’s book and retire on a positive note.

As for the Phillies, there are some names then that Mike Arbuckle and Marti Wolever should be researching.  Of course there is the winner of last night’s game and tournament MVP, Daisuke Matsuzaka who has said he would definitely like to play in America.  Then there’s the young Mexican, Jorge Cantu, who upstaged the Americans in the final game of the second round.  Yoandy Garlobo, the outfielder from Cuba, went 12-25 in the games and his teammate Yadel Marti pitched brilliantly.  I know the Phils have operations in Venezuela but that market is becoming diluted as many teams are snatching up players at a very early age.  Thus the Phils need to broaden their horizons and start taking advantage of untapped sources of talent.  Besides, turning Phillies Nation into an international phenomenon like the Yankees and Mariners have done can only be in the long term interests of the club.  For my part, I converted a few fans here in England, but have yet to find anyone with big league talent.  That’s the job for Phillies scouting.

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Rowand, Rowand, Rowand

Posted by Brian Michael, Mon, March 20, 2006 10:37 AM

I just realized that back in November when the Phillies traded away Jim Thome, we were so excited to see Gillick’s first move as GM that we didn’t give Aaron Rowand a proper introduction.  Let’s take care of that right now.  First, it must be stated that many people, including myself, believe that the new Phils centerfield will play a major role this season both on and off the field.  Back in Chicago, White Sox fans were sad to see Rowand depart and Carl Everett has even claimed the Sox won’t be able to repeat due a change in clubhouse chemistry without Rowand (and himself of course).  This is typical of what we hear about Rowand - he’s got a great attitude - but less discussed are his numbers which, while not overly impressive, should be sufficient.

Rowand was a first round draft pick of the Sox in the 1998 draft, selected 35th overall.  He came up in 2001 and has played all three outfield positions but has since settled in center, playing 157 games there last season.  There shouldn’t be many questions about his defense, he compiled a .992 fielding percentage last year and has a lifetime .988 FP.  He has some speed too, as he swiped 17 bases in 2004 and 16 in 2005.  This will be especially useful with the loss of Kenny Lofton. 

Offensively, Rowand had a career year in 2004 belting 24 home runs and driving in 69 with a .310/.361/.544 AVG/OBP/SLG.  Although he tailed off a bit last season, he maintained his RBI numbers while batting fifth for the Sox the majority of the season.  His lifetime line reads .283/.337/.451.  The number that has been on the rise in recent years however is not a good one - strikeouts.  Rowand struck out 116 times last season up from 91 in 2004 and way up from only 21 in 2003 (though he did play in 50 less games that season).  As the graph below indicates, he also has a poor BB/K ratio which can be seen from his Spring Training numbers thus far; he walked just 32 times last season. 

This then brings up the point as to where to place Rowand in the batting order.  Charlie Manuel certainly has plenty of options.  Rowand, as mentioned above, batted mostly in the 5 spot but also hit 3rd and 7th in the White Sox’s World Series lineup.  Manuel will have to take into consideration his speed, his more or less league average OBP, and the fact that he’s a righty.  David Pinto, while musing on the spot switch-hitting Abraham Nunez should have in the lineup, says Rowand would be the better choice to bat second, which is where he is being rumored to open the season.   Again going to Baseball Musings for advice, I inputted the Phillies lineup into the handy dandy Lineup Analysis tool and was told the best Phillies lineup has Rowand batting 6th.  This is probably where I would put Rowand as well, keeping Nunez or Bell seventh.  Still, some have even mentioned the possibility of platooning Rowand with Shane Victorino in the number 2 spot.

No matter where Rowand bats, he should have a positive impact on the Phils this season.  His youth should help him to easily integrate with his new team and his playoff experience will be an asset in the clubhouse.  Though not the offensive powerhouse, the rest of the lineup should be able to pick up the slack.  His outfield defense will be key and I’m sure Phillies fans will appreciate his hard-nosed style of play.  Although he has struggled some in Spring Training, he should be ready to play come April at which time I’ll be excited to finally see the Phillies with an everyday centerfielder.

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The City Line

Posted by Brian Michael, Fri, March 17, 2006 01:22 AM

I would like to welcome everyone to a new weekly feature here at Phillies Nation, "The City Line."  I will run the post every Thursday night or Friday morning.  If you are wondering, the name is derived from the proximity of my residences (current and past) to the edge of the city limits.  Just an informal introduction this week and a few minor details to put out there for discussion.

First off let us all take a moment and give thanks that we are not Bud Selig right now.  What a week this guy has had, right?  First, a little over a week ago the biggest speculation in sports today became fact; Bary Bonds used steroids.  Now what does Bud do?  If he runs an indepth investigation, Pete Rose style, you and he know what the results will be: that Barry Bonds and numerous others have been using steroids ( and some pretty serious stuff too) since the late 90’s.  This not only proves that baseball has been tainted for years, but it puts a black cloud over his reign as commisioner.  He already has the strike of ‘94 on his resume, add the rampant use of steroids and more then a few would slap the label, "worst commisioner ever" on Bud’s forehead.  If anyone was switching between the first round of the NCAA tournament and the WBC game featuring the USA vs. Mexico, Jon Miller of ESPN was interviewing Bud.  When the question of Bonds and steroids came up he started squirming like a little kid who has to pee.  The perspiration on his brow was almost visable.

And speaking of the World Baseball Classic, Bud’s baby, the USA did not even make the semi finals.  That is a disgrace.  While I admit that I enjoyed watching the WBC much more then I had ever anticipated, there are still some major flaws.  I do not totally blame Buck Martinez or the players either for the early exit.  Buck had a responsibility to the players respective teams to rotate players in and out and platoon like it was a normal MLB team in Spring Training.  Well this is not Spring Training, and if it is then what is the point of the WBC.  Good idea, but needs some major tweaking. 

Now I know this blog is named Phillies Nation, do not fret, here comes some Phils phodder.  Is it just me, or does it seem that the more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.  Another Spring is almost over and David Bell has been inactive almost all Spring with a bad back.  At least David has age as an excuse.  Cole Hamels again is battling a bad back as well and Gavin Floyd is having trouble with his confidence.  Tom Gordon has a sore elbow, Authur Rhodes is throwing wild pitches.  The starters are whining that they get no respect.  Bobby Abreu had a poor showing in the WBC, so poor in fact that his Venezuelan teammate Endy Chavez out homered him, had a better average than him, and more RBI’s.  Now that is impressive.  Pat Burrell has been DH-ing all Spring because of his still sore surgically repaired right foot (that is a situation I feel needs to be monitored very closely as the Spring draws to a close).  Aaron Rowand just broke an 0-20 start.  The list goes on, but you get the drift.  Its time to start winning.  Period.  As the calendar flips from March to April, its good to know that not much has changed with our beloved Phils over the off season.  Still, here is to a fun and successful season!  

                 That’s the story from the inaugural City Line

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Phils v. Twins Recap

Posted by Brian Michael, Wed, March 15, 2006 07:33 AM

So I intended today’s post to be about Aaron Rowand’s slow start in spring training, specifically his 0-20 steak going into yesterday’s game.  But in a surprising turn of events, Rowand blew the game open in the second inning with a 3-run home run - and what a 2nd inning it was.  A batter prior, Abraham Nunez had knocked a bases-loaded double to score 2 runs, then Rowand cleared the bags.  Not to be out done, the man-child Ryan Howard stepped up and deposited his 8th dinger of spring over the centerfield wall, nearly injuring Torii Hunter in the process, to cap a 6 run inning.  For the most part, the Phils looked impressive in the first game I’ve seen this year.

Brett Myers pitched a solid scoreless 3+ innings, and his non-roster invitee replacement, Travis Minix also pitched well.  Minix entered the game with two outs and two men on and promptly retired the next batter to get out of the jam.  In the next inning he allowed just a hit, so in terms of spring training goals, he did his job and looked good doing it. 

The only downside of the Phillies performance was the late inning relief.  In the 7th inning, Rheal Cormier gave up the Twins first run of the game, walked a couple guys and eventually loaded the bases before Manuel intervened.  Fultz came on and ended the inning without any further damage but with him still pitching in the 8th, the Twins added on 2 more runs and before loading the bases.  To his credit, Fultz struck out the next batter to end the inning; nonetheless the performance of the two relievers was a bit shaky.  While I appreciate Fultz’s ability to pitch out of a jam - that is a main requirement of a middle reliever - he and Cormier almost let the Twins back in the game.  Last season we saw this occurrence all too often and it often led to less favorable results.  The Phils’ bullpen needs to tighten up and throw strikes when they have a big lead late in the game like they did yesterday - walks kill.  Fortunately the Twinkies were in the habit of leaving runners on base - 14 through 8 innings if I recall correctly.

The best part about yesterday’s game, in my opinion, was the offensive diversity.  Sure there was the monster second inning, but if you tuned out early, you missed the insurance run in the ninth.  With the Phillies leading 7-3, Joe Thruston (another NRI) got on base with a double.  Shane Victorino came up next and laid down a beautiful bunt to advance Thurston to third.  He later scored on a sacrifice fly to left field.  Right there is some well-executed small ball.  It may not have been completely necessary with a four run lead in the ninth inning of a spring training game, but it was definitely good practice.  It is reassuring to know that Victorino as a pitch hitter will be able to advance runners when called upon.  Now if we can just get the pitchers to bunt half as well, the Phils will be in business.

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