Phillies Nation

2007 NL EAST CHAMPION PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES

Posted by Brian Michael, Sun, September 30, 2007 05:27 PM

THEY DID IT!  The Phillies are in the playoffs!!  They won the National League East Division crown!!! 

On Saturday the Phils looked nervous and clumsy, but today was a different story all together.  Everyone contributed, everyone did their part - the starter, the bullpen, the offense, the defense, the manager - everyone.  Jamie Moyer pitched a masterful five-and-a-third innings, allowing just a single run while striking out six Nationals.  Charlie Manuel wisely brought in Tom Gordon who promptly served up an inning ending double-play.  He was followed by the amazing J.C. Romero and his paltry 1.24 ERA, and then it was Brett Myers who punched the playoff ticket with a nasty breaking ball.

Offensively, the Phillies used small ball to build a lead that was eventually punctuated by a Ryan Howard bomb in the seventh.   Howard finishes the season with 47 homers, 136 RBIs and a strikeout short of 200.  However the real story is Jimmy Rollins - the guy who talks the talk and walks the walk.  He led off the game with a single, two stolen bases and ultimately a 1-0 Phillies lead.  He’s been both the spark and the fuel to the Phillies 2007 season.  Here’s a quick look at his season highlights:

• 716 at bats (MLB record) over a full 162 games
• 137 runs scored (1st in NL, 2nd in MLB)
• 212 hits (2nd in NL, 4th in MLB)
• Fourth player in MLB history with at least 20 home runs, 20 triples, 20 doubles, and 20 stolen bases
• .296 batting average, .344 on-base percentage, .531 slugging percentage

Of course JRoll has a serious case for Most Valuable Player of the National League.  Last year the debate surrounding Ryan Howard’s MVP-candidacy focused on whether or not his obscene numbers outweighed the fact that the Phillies did not make the playoffs.  This year however, the Phillies are in the playoffs (!) and although Rollins didn’t put up astonishing numbers his consistent over-achieving from the leadoff spot deserves recognition.  I’d almost say Rollins has a better case for the award than Howard did last year. 

Then there’s his swagger…or as he puts it, “If you can’t walk around with swag, don’t walk around.”  We all recall his comments in January saying, “We’re the team to beat.”  Then he reiterated the statement just prior to the season, which incensed the Mets.  ”The Phillies, they can come out and talk as much as they want,” David Wright said. “Until they prove it on the field, then it’s just talk. As far as throwing out predictions and talking about it, talk is very, very cheap.”  Well guess what, David, they proved it.  Same for you Paul LoDuca, Mr. I-didn’t-think-getting-swept-by-the-Phillies-was-a-big-deal.  Witnessing the monumental collapse by the New York Mets - a 7 game lead with 17 to play - only adds to this ecstasy.  They were cocky, over-confident and I believe it was Carlos Delgado who said, “We’re so good, we sometimes get bored.”  Yea, I bet it’s real boring not playing baseball in October.  Hopefully, the stigma of the ‘64 Phillies will now be transferred to the ‘07 Mets.  If you want to start the ball rolling, feel free to leave some “choke” comments on our favorite Mets blogs.

Finally, as we party tonight on Broad Street, Cottman and Frankford, or anywhere around the world, enjoy it and be safe, because tomorrow the real season begins. Ya gotta believe.  GO PHILS!

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In First Place On The Final Day

Posted by Brian Michael, Sat, September 29, 2007 03:57 PM

No matter what happens today, it’s all to play for on Sunday.  The entire 2007 season comes down to the final day - save a tiebreaker game.  The Phillies will send Jamie Moyer - who has some playoff experience with the Mariners - to the mound to oppose Jason Bergmann.  Up north Dontrelle Willis will tangle with Tom Glavine. 

For those going to the Phillies game, there will be plenty of parties before and hopefully after.  Our friend Mike from WNJC will be broadcasting live from the Eagles parking lot starting at 11am.  If you’re interested in stopping by, send him an email via MySpace or just look for the guy doing a radio show.  There will be another broadcast recapping the Phillies regular season from 6:30pm to 7:30pm on station.  I’ll be a guest, so be sure to tune the radio to 1360 AM or listen online.

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In First Place with 3 Games Left

Posted by Brian Michael, Thu, September 27, 2007 09:29 PM

This is it everyone. This why we love the Phillies. Even if they break our hearts, there is no denying that after playing nearly six months of baseball it has all been worth it. The energy is amazing, not just in the ballpark but all over: high-fives with random fans on the streets of DC, text messages from friends, even emails from my grandmother - all saying, Go Phils! I love it! And Thursday night only added fuel to the fire. Abraham Nunez voiced his emotion after a nice catch in the ninth and Brett Myers walked off the field pumping up the crowd like a linebacker on fourth down.

Kyle Kendrick followed up an excellent performance by his namesake Kyle Loshe with another solid outing for Phillies starting pitchers. With the win, Kendrick became the first Phillies rookie to win 10 game since Pat Combs. He has really salvaged the rotation with his 10-4 record after Garcia, Lieber, and Eaton failed to contribute (though Eaton will get another chance on Saturday). Although Kyle got into some trouble in the sixth, he was able finish the inning and Charlie Manual wisely brought in Tom Gordon in the seventh. Gordon’s shutout inning was followed consecutively by J.C. Romero and Brett Myers. With 22 holds on the year and only 2 hits allowed in all of September, Romero is shaping up to be a legitimate setup man. It also helps that the offense is taking control early. Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell both connected for homers in the first and Howard, to his credit, has cut down on the strikeouts since setting his ignominous record earlier in the week.

Meanwhile, as you might have heard, the Mets were shutout by the Cardinals and have dropped 10 of their last 14 games. Now with the Phillies tied for a playoff spot and their destiny in their own hands, we could ease up on the scoreboard watching. But just as a preview, here are the matchups for the FINAL WEEKEND:

Nationals at Phillies
Tim Redding, RHP (3-5, 3.53) @ Cole Hamels, LHP (14-5, 3.54)
Matt Chico, LHP (6-9, 4.75) @ Adam Eaton, RHP (10-9, 6.33)
Jason Bergmann, RHP (6-5, 4.33) @ Jamie Moyer, LHP (13-12, 5.15)

Marlins at Mets
Byung-Hyun Kim, RHP (9-8, 6.11) @ Oliver Perez, LHP (15-9, 3.32)
Chris Seddon, LHP (0-1, 6.89) @ John Maine, RHP (14-10, 4.07)
Dontrelle Willis, LHP (10-15, 5.20) @ Tom Glavine, LHP (13-7, 4.14)

Padres at Milwaukee
Greg Maddux, RHP (13-11, 4.10) @ Chris Capuano, LHP (5-12, 5.09)
Chris Young, RHP (9-8, 3.13) @ Dave Bush, RHP (12-10, 5.16)
Brett Tomko, RHP (4-11, 5.39) @ Jeff Suppan, RHP (11-12, 4.57)

D’backs at Rockies
Brandon Webb, RHP (17-10, 3.02) @ Jeff Francis, LHP (17-8, 4.17)
Edgar Gonzalez, RHP (8-3, 4.73) @ Mark Redman, LHP (1-4, 8.67)
Doug Davis, LHP (13-12, 4.25) @ Ubaldo Jimenez, RHP (4-4, 4.52)

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Are you nervous?

Posted by Brian Michael, Tue, September 25, 2007 09:29 AM

Yes, the Padres lost. The Mets lost too. The Phillies are now tied for the Wild Card spot and two back in the division with six games to play. We all understand the stakes here and we all know the Phillies history - both recent and ancient. Still, I find myself genuinely nervous. That queasy feeling you get when you think too much about something that you know you shouldn’t. Take my anticipation for tonight’s game, it’s not a “must-win” but it feels like one. That’s why you celebrate so heartily after each victory in the final two weeks of the season. Because if the game matters, that’s all that matters. The games this week against the Braves definitely matter and will be extremely hard-fought. Here are the probables:

Chuck James, LHP (11-10, 4.11) v. Jamie Moyer, LHP (13-11, 5.01)
Tim Hudson, RHP (16-9, 3.34) v. Kyle Lohse, RHP (8-12, 4.71)
John Smoltz, RHP (14-7, 2.95) v. Adam Eaton, RHP (10-9, 6.33)

You read that right, both Hudson AND Smoltz stand in the way between the Phillies and the playoffs. Perhaps a Tim Hudson fastball is just what Ryan Howard needs to seize his opportunity…lest we forget the three-homer game Ryan had against him last September. However the Braves weakness is not their pitching, rather their inability to provide support for these All-Star pitchers.

In other news, Pat Gillick announced that next year will be his last as the Phillies General Manager. After the three-year term of his contract expires after next season, Gillick intends to move back West and spend more time with his family. The announcement comes at an important time for Phillies executives. Ruben Amaro, Jr. who is Gillick’s heir-apparent, has been testing the GM waters recently and perhaps Pat was instructed to make his decision known early so that Dave Montgomery can guarantee Amaro a promotion and keep him on staff. Word is that Ruben was eagerly anticipating the Houston job that went to Ed Wade and there is a strong possibility he will receive an offer from Pittsburgh. Although I would very much like to see Ruben as a GM in Philly, maybe it would be better to let him gain experience elsewhere before giving him the Phillies checkbook.

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Don’t Stop Winning

Posted by Brian Michael, Mon, September 24, 2007 09:18 AM

The Phillies returned home yesterday after a long weekend in DC where they went 3-1 and witnessed the last baseball game at RFK Stadium. More importantly, they’ve surfaced to just a half game out of the Wild Card spot with six games to play (3 each against Atlanta and Washington). The Fightins are off today, but both the Mets (at home versus Washington) and Padres (at San Francisco against Barry Zito) have games scheduled. Down the stretch the Phils will send to the mound Moyer, Lohse (though he came out of the bullpen yesterday), either Eaton or Kendrick, Hamels, either Eaton or Durbin, then Moyer again. Still, like all season, the offense will have to carry the team.  And no one person has a bigger opportunity to help fulfill that role than Ryan Howard.

You may have heard, the third-year slugger added his name to another record yesterday - most strikeouts in a season. His 195th K tied the mark set by Adam Dunn in 2004. Ryan will likely break the record on Tuesday and will quite possibly end the year with over 200 strikeouts. It’s safe to say though, we saw this coming. In Spring Training we witnessed him struggle, ESPN Magazine even did a feature on the hole in his swing…that has yet to be addressed. Don’t get me wrong, Howard’s 42 homers and 125 RBIs are crucial to the Phillies success thus far; but the strikeouts have come too often and usually at critical times in games. This season, during situations in which it is the 7th inning or later with the batting team either ahead by one run, tied or with the potential tying run at least on deck (”close and late” as defined by STATS), Ryan Howard has 33 strikeouts, 19 hits, 17 RBIs in 73 at bats. Meanwhile, Chase Utley has 13 Ks in 87 ABs, Pat Burrell has 22Ks in 65 ABs, and Aaron Rowand has 22 Ks in 87 ABs. So at this point in the season, when wins are all that matter, Ryan Howard has a prime opportunity to shake off the stigma and propel this team to the playoffs. He did it in 2005, and he’s the type of player that can do it again.

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A Win’s a Win

Posted by Brian Michael, Fri, September 21, 2007 08:26 AM

Wow, where did that win come from? It wasn’t a brand new Phillie that provided the spark as I thought, but it was another amazing finish. Jayson Werth’s 3-run blast into the upper deck of left field to bring the Phils within one run was certainly reminiscent of the Russell Branyan shot. More impressive though was the Phillies bullpen which salvaged Kyle Lohse’s pitiful two inning performance as Durbin, Davis, Condrey, Romero (W), Gordon, and Myers (S) combined for seven scoreless. The Phillies now have 47th come-from-behind wins. That is the most in the majors and with 83 wins overall, that means the Phils come-from-behind in more than half their games (57%).

Elsewhere in the National League, the Marlins held off a Met rally to escape with a win in ten innings. As fans were walking out of RFK last night, the concourses erupted when we found out the Fish had tied it in the ninth.  I expect there to be even more fans at the stadium this weekend - you can’t beat $5 tickets.  Unfortunately the Padres won as the tend to do. Yet the biggest news outside the Phillies big win was the hiring of Ed Wade by Houston to act as their General Manager.  Go Phils!

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You Can’t Win Them All

Posted by Brian Michael, Thu, September 20, 2007 09:01 AM

What a heartbreaker last night as the Phillies lost to the Cardinals 2-1 in 10 innings. The Phillies were finally on the unfortunate side of a dramatic finish. Brett Myers got tagged for his seventh loss on a walk-off single by Yadier Molina. Jamie Moyer pitched well on the road for the first time in almost two months, but his effort was squandered as the bats could not get it going against Cardinals starter Adam Wainwright. Of course the Mets, Padres, Braves and Rockies all won, so after an exciting first half of the week the Phils are now 2.5 games out of a playoff spot.

The club travels to DC for another crucial September series with the Nationals. It’s fall in the nation’s capital, so be sure to pack your cozy Howard-Utley ‘08 hoodie. The Phillies cannot afford to let last night’s loss slow their momentum. I expect one of the new Phillies to play a role in this four-game series. Last time the Phils were in Washington, newcomer Russell Branyan was the hero. Chris Roberson or Pete Laforest both have that potential to come up big in a pinch-hit situation. Another newcomer in the form of Kyle Lohse will take to the hill tonight. He is 0-1 this year against the Nationals in two starts. The Phillies did end up winning his last start in DC though, thanks to that Russell Branyan homer.

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It’s Always Bittersweet in Philadelphia

Posted by Brian Michael, Tue, September 18, 2007 07:14 AM

The Phillies are facing the opportunity of a lifetime. I’m not talking about the chance to overtake the Wild Card, or topple the Mets. I’m referring to that rare opportunity when a city infused with football fans looks for solace elsewhere. The Eagles are embarrassing, the Phillies are exciting. Sure last night’s Phils game was a hot mess - as they let an 11 run lead slip away - but it wasn’t as bad as the game at the Linc. I’m not looking to hate on the Eagles, but I hope Philadelphians will hold out at the start of this football season in hopes of a renewed contract with our baseball team. In many ways, the Phillies are a lot like the Eagles of a couple years ago - a solid team of stars, who consistently compete but can’t quite get the job done. Fortunately for the Phils, their window will still be open for another 3-5 years. Nonetheless, now is the time.

The Phils are 1.5 out of the Wild Card and 2.5 behind the Mets going into tonight’s game. A game which will feature a returning Cole Hamels. This is a big game for the brash young pitcher. Although he’s been injured plenty of times before, he has yet to return to the team during a critical time in the season. The team has been rolling without him and can ill-afford a disruption in that flow. We all know Cole is great, and he knows it himself, but can he handle pitching while not at 100%? Is his ego too big to not be dominating all the time? At first consideration, I thought this might be a problem, but then I remembered one of Cole’s strong suits is his versatility. While he does not have a dazzling array of pitches at his disposal, he has the keen ability to recognize during a game which pitches are working and which are not. Furthermore Hamels can aptly execute any of his three main pitches (fastball, curve, change-up) to get outs.

The Phils will need as much as they can get out of Cole tonight. Charlie is going to have him on a short leash with a pitch count that will top out around 70. This means the bullpen will certainly come into play tonight. Going into last night’s game, the ‘pen had posted a 0.93 ERA in the last four Phillies victories. Plus the last five wins overall were garnered by Geoff Geary (2), Brett Myers, Tom Gordon and Antonio Alfonseca. Last night was a different story as six guys made the trip from the bullpen to the mound to try to stop the team from hemorrhaging runs. The team escaped with the win, but it’s certainly not a formula the Phils are looking to tonight as the pressure will be on both Cole and his relievers.

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In case you missed it…

Posted by Brian Michael, Sun, September 16, 2007 11:53 AM

The homepage of the ESPN.com MLB section is featuring stories on the Phillies this weekend. The feature is an article by Howard Bryant on how the Phillies consistently fail to reach the playoffs after coming so close. It’s a broken record we’ve all heard, of course, which is why the headline reads, “Phillies die-hards know how the story ends.” It’s not worth reading for that very reason, but here are two good clips.

None of this, it should be noted, is easy to do. Since the wild card was instituted in 1995, no team has won at least 85 games five years in a row and failed to make the playoffs. The Phillies, in their own special way, are close to making history.

But here’s the funny thing: The Phillies haven’t reached the mountain, but neither have they — as most teams do — regressed and fallen apart after coming close and not making it. The White Sox — the World Series winners in 2005 and in the hunt every year since 2000 — are in last place, threatening to lose 90 games.

Here’s the better story:

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Pat the Bat Strikes Back

Posted by Brian Michael, Fri, September 14, 2007 07:48 AM

I strange thing has happened recently. I, along with many Phillies fans, find myself on balance cheering for Pat Burrell more than boo-ing him. Crazy, huh? That has hardly been the norm the past couple of years. So am I back on the Pat Burrell bandwagon? Yes, and I would even say I never left. This is true because in many ways, the hail of boos that have consistently rain-down upon Pat have been boos of frustration, boos of “I know you’re a lot better than this.” His propensity to strikeout-looking only added to fans distaste for his apparent lack of effort. One phrase my friends often like to throw out during a particularly good stretch for Pat is, “yea, but he has to hit .600 one month just to reach .260 on the season.” The chart says that’s pretty close to accurate considering he’s at .268 now.

Yet this year has seen a resurgence in Pat the Bat. Although, he had an excellent year in 2005 and stayed relatively consistent in 2006, it was not until this year that we have seen him play with the emotion that fans respect. In Philly you have to not only be a good ballplayer, but you have to wear your heart on your sleeve as well. That’s especially hard when you play on a team with the likes of Aaron Rowand, Chase Utley, and Jimmy Rollins. Though this year Pat has expressed himself more on the diamond, both in good times and bad. His three-run blast on Monday to tie a game the Phils eventually won in 10 innings, was one of several clutch performances by Pat this year. Does that mean he’s worth the $27 million he’s making over the next two years? No, not by a mile, but he’s definitely worth more to the Phils this season than he has been in recent ones.

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