Phillies Nation

Gamenight: Marlins (30-23) At Phillies (32-24)

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sat, May 31, 2008 05:57 PM

The Phillies breezed into first place in the NL East with a 12-3 clubbing of the Marlins yesterday. Chase Utley nailed his world-leading 18th home run, Ryan Howard added his 15th, and Chris Coste socked his fifth. But hogging the spotlight was Brett Myers, who pitched a splendid eight-inning, 11 strikeout performance.

Now Cole Hamels gets the ball and will try to subdue the Marlins offense. He’ll have to face Hanley Ramirez, who is in the lineup despite a bruised thumb after being struck by a Shane Victorino rope.

The scorching offense will go up against Ricky Nolasco, the 25-year-old righty who has a 6.04 ERA against left-handed hitters. I’m hoping we get a good night from Geoff Jenkins, who has been heating up as of late.

Storms are occurring all day in Philadelphia.

Phillies: Cole Hamels (5-3) 3.18 ERA
Marlins: Ricky Nolasco (4-3) 4.70 ERA

Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EST
Weather: 76 degrees, possible storms
Lineup: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, Ruiz, Hamels

MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gamenight beer: Pick up a Stoudt’s American Pale Ale tonight. Easy to drink, it has a light, crisp taste, like most pale ales. I have to say, after the Belgian white, the pale ale might be my favorite style of beer. While I’m inclined to India pales, Americans are also very refreshing. Have a pulled pork sandwich with it, another good American taste.

Go Phillies!

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Another Blowout: Myers, Offense Rip Marlins, 12-3

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, May 30, 2008 10:35 PM

Best win of the year.

Chris Coste knocked a three-run home run in the second inning, Shane Victorino followed that up with a two-run double, then Chase Utley slammed the coffin lid shut with a two-run line shot, his Major League-leading 18th homer of the season. When the dust ran from the coffin the score was 7-3, and from there it was easy street.

Ryan Howard, for good measure, slanted his 15th off the fair pole, and the Phils would win 12-3 over the Marlins. It’s May 30, and the Phillies are alone in first place in the National League Eastern division.

Brett Myers was the real star of the game. After a poor first inning he settled in and dominated. He struck out 11, locating and attacking with his fastball, then burying hitters with his splendid curveball. When hitters weren’t striking out they were popping and flying out harmlessly. He may not be hitting the mid-90s with the fastball, but if he continues to use it properly there won’t be cause for panic. Tonight it all came together for Myers. More of this, we beg you.

Offensively, do we ever give Chris Coste credit? He plays once every two or three games and puts up absurd numbers. Tonight he stands at .341 with 5 HR and 16 RBI. For a platooning catcher with little Major League experience, that’s overly impressive, and some of us have to start thinking about writing Coste’s name onto the All-Star ballot. Then there’s Victorino, who extended his hitting streak to 11 games and scored two runs. (He also nailed Hanley Ramirez with a line drive; hopefully Ramirez will be OK.) Pedro Feliz had two hits, raising his average to .269.

Between Myers’ fantastic outing (innings two through eight) and the offense’s continuing slayings of opposing pitching staffs, this win tasted best of all. Confidence in the team is at a season high, and seemingly, the best is still to come. While there’s absolutely no way we should get ahead of ourselves, this win demonstrated that this baseball club is a superb one — one capable of big things.

Associated Press photo

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Gamenight: Marlins (30-22) At Phillies (31-24)

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, May 30, 2008 05:25 PM

Finally, the battle for first place in the NL East can be played. The Phillies dance with the Marlins tonight, and first place is on the line this weekend.

The Phils are coming off their fourth straight win and a series (and season) sweep of the Colorado Rockies. After a day off and some partying for animal welfare, the Phils will face Mark Hendrickson. Sound familiar? He was a second-round draft pick for the 76ers.

Obviously, like many past Sixers draft picks, he didn’t really pan out for them.

Hendrickson is 7-2, which I never thought I’d write this season. Meanwhile, Phillies starter Brett Myers is 1-6. Again, never thought I’d write it. He’s been at least credible as of late, but he’s had trouble locating his fastball.

Of course, the Phils have hit Mark Hendrickson to the tune of a 12.60 ERA. Shane Victorino is 3-for-3 with 2 RBI against him. Chase Utley is 2-for-3.

Phillies: Brett Myers (1-6) 5.79 ERA
Marlins: Mark Hendrickson (7-2) 4.14 ERA

Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EST
Weather: 77 degrees, mostly cloudy
Lineup: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Feliz, Coste, Taguchi, Myers

MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gamenight beer: Recently I bought Long Trail’s Belgian White Ale. It’s new from the Vermont brewery, and they make pretty good beer for the most part. This is no different, a very nice offering that has a hint of lemon and goes down pretty smooth. Tonight, eat a chicken Caesar salad with it.

Go Phillies!

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Rosenthal: Burrell For Sabathia?

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, May 30, 2008 11:40 AM

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports writes about the Indians need for a slugger and trade possibilities involving ace CC Sabathia in his latest column. He throws a couple options out there, including Pat Burrell. He writes:

“[Adam] Dunn, Pat Burrell, Bobby Abreu, Mark Teixeira — any of those potential free agents would lift the Indians’ sagging offense. Teixeira, the only plus defender, is by far the most appealing. Then again, as badly as the Tribe is going, a little creativity might be required.”

He continues, saying Burrell wouldn’t be a great fit for the Indians because they would need a right fielder, but their current left fielder is former-Phillie David Dellucci, who is hitting a light .227 with 5 HR and 16 RBI. Burrell would clearly be an upgrade.

Sabathia is in the final year of his contract, and will demand a lot of dough and a long-term deal after the season. Burrell, of course, is in his contract year and would demand probably $40M to $50M over a couple years.

Quite honestly, it would be a fair move for the Phillies. While Burrell has been outstanding so far, and gives the Phils necessary right-handed production, they could play the year with Jayson Werth in left field and get maybe 70 percent of Burrell’s production. Then again, they could get more.

Would the Indians give up Sabathia? There’s no indication they’d re-sign him past 2008, so it’s possible Cleveland would rid him for the offense they desperately need. Currently they have a stacked pitching staff, especially with the way Cliff Lee is throwing.

Sabathia would solve the Phils rotation troubles and would be an easy loaner. They wouldn’t have to commit to him beyond 2008; if they want to, they’d have a dynamite 1-2 punch for many years. But who else would the Phils give up with Burrell? Ryan Madson may not be enough. Throw in a prospect like Antonio Bastardo? Very intriguing — I would not rule out discussions between the Phils and Indians.

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Meet Your NL East Leaders: The Florida Marlins

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, May 30, 2008 11:10 AM

This weekend marks maybe the most important series of the season to date, a three-game home set against the Florida Marlins. I’m sure before the season nobody penciled these games in as most important of 2008, but welcome to Major League Baseball, where every few years the scrappy, young Marlins make a run for the crown.

In fact back before Opening Day I asked Craig Strain, author of Fish Stripes — my favorite Marlins blog — this question:

PN: It seems every time the Marlins strip its roster bare of big-money stars, the team surprises everyone and becomes a contender. Could the 2008 Marlins be that team, or will it take another year or more?

Strain: It should take at least another year or maybe two. The Marlins young starters are still rehabbing from the injuries suffered during the 2006 and early 2007. It’s hard to imagine the team will be contenders with this year’s starting rotation.

My theory, so far, is holding true and the young Marlins are contenders in the National League. In fact, they hold the third-best record in the NL, after the Cubs and Cardinals. But do you know your Marlins? Here’s a quick primer to get you set for the big weekend set.

Florida Marlins
2008 Record: 30-22, 1st place, NL East (0.5 games)
Runs scored: 254; runs allowed: 242
Pythagorean Record: 27-25

Not as expected: So the Marlins are supposed to be 27-25, judging by their run differential. Just remember, the Diamondbacks won the NL West with a Pythagorean Record of 79-83. The Phils, by the way, are Pythag’d at 33-22, which would make them second-best in all of baseball.

Primes of their lives: The Marlins boast an offense of guys reaching the primes of their careers. Slugging 1B Mike Jacobs (27) has 11 HR and 29 RBI. Utley-esque 2B Dan Uggla (28) has 16 HR and 38 RBI along with a .307 AVG. Then there’s Hanley Ramirez (24), maybe the most talented offensive player in the game, who is merely hitting .291 with 9 HR and 23 RBI. He has stolen 13 bases. Josh Willingham (29), while injured now, had 6 HR and a .341 AVG to start the season

Over my head: The Fish are benefiting from guys playing better than their careers would state. Journeyman infielder Jorge Cantu has 7 HR and 24 RBI. Platooning center fielder Cody Ross has 9 HR.

Defensive liabilities: Cantu has already committed 11 errors at third base. Uggla has 5 at second base. Ramirez has 8 at shortstop. What that means: hit it to the infielders!

Top pen: The Marlins bullpen has been very effective. Kevin Gregg is an under-the-radar closer. He has converted 10 saves and has blown 2. Lefty Renyel Pinto, who the Phils will likely see a lot this weekend, totes a 1.35 ERA. Matt Lindstrom has a 2.75 ERA and Doug Waechter has a 1.35.

Bad start: The Marlins rotation is poor. They’re led by Phillie-favorite Scott Olsen, who is 4-2 with a 3.65 ERA. Opening Day starter Mark Hendrickson is 7-2 with a 4.14 ERA. Ricky Nolasco has a 4.70 ERA. But 23-year-old Andrew Miller has a 5.53 mark. That is their current rotation, with regular starters Josh Johnson and Anibel Sanchez on the DL.

Bad blood: The Marlins and Phillies are not partnering on “Dancing With the Stars” anytime soon. In the last few years the teams have engaged in fisticuffs, with Olsen speaking out against the Phils. The Marlins and their fans usually dislike us because of our alleged smugness. Hey, at least we don’t have Olsen.

Still, applause should be in order for the Fish, who extinguished the Mets on Sept. 30 to end their hopes for a division title, and help us get ours.

For real?: The jury is still out on the Marlins among the major sports media outlets. Their rotation is very suspect (yes, worse off than the Phillies), and I’m not sure they have the offense to make up for their pitching woes. Their foundation is strong, but their roles players seem second-rate compared to the Phils. Still, the Marlins seem to always kick the doubters in the pants every couple years, so we have to be fully warned by this team — which makes this weekend a real important one.

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Benson To Start For Clearwater Monday

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Thu, May 29, 2008 07:16 PM

David Murphy is reporting Kris Benson will make his first official rehab start Monday for the Clearwater Threshers. He’ll face the Tampa Yankees.

Benson is expected to throw 75 pitches in the game. No timetable is yet expected for his return to the Major Leagues. Monday, by the way, is June 2 — his contract states if Benson isn’t on the Major League roster by June 1, he can leave the team and exploring other options.

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FJM: Howard Is A Beast, Let’s Not Ditch Him, Kay?

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Thu, May 29, 2008 02:08 PM

Fire Joe Morgan (one of the absolute best blogs in the world) skewers Gerry Fraley of the Sporting News and his column about the Phillies keeping put with paying Ryan Howard past his arbitration years.

Fraley says Howard is fast becoming a Dave Kingman-type player:

“Howard was hitting only .209 with a sickly .785 on-base plus slugging percentage and was on pace for a ridiculous 225 strikeouts, 26 more than his record-setting total of last season.”

FJM:

“BABIP. See above. (career .341 batting average of balls in play) And wow, those strikeouts absolutely killed him last year to the tune of a .392 OBP and the third most home runs in major league baseball.

Ryan Howard is a human-shaped anchor who will drag your team all the way to the bottom of the standings. He has never won a baseball game and never will, until he moves to China, where the fewest runs scored wins the game and the women have sideways vaginas and vertical smiles.”

FJM is right — Howard will improve beyond his current numbers and probably put up another very good season. Fraley should’ve turned his argument more toward the logistical long-term reasons why Howard may not be the best keep for the Phillies, as I wrote back in April.

Instead, he had to face the deadly slings of the FJM crew

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The Mysterious Effectiveness Of Chad Durbin

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Thu, May 29, 2008 12:29 PM

One of the surprises of the Phillies league-best bullpen is Chad Durbin. The journeyman starter/reliever has become the ultimate swing man, pitching in many situations and getting the job done almost every time.

Currently he carries a 1.89 ERA in his 33.1 innings of work. How is he doing it?

Interestingly, he doesn’t thrive with more outs. With no outs, opponents are hitting a solid .094 against him. But with one out, it’s .244. With two outs, it’s .295. OPS numbers jump up tremendously as well, from .265 to .594 to .847. Then again, hitters are only at .167 against him with two down and runners in scoring position.

This all despite the fact that for his career, he’s a better two-out pitcher.

Here’s a statistic that I found intriguing: With no days rest, Durbin is throwing a 1.12 ERA. But with one day off, he’s at 4.38 in 12.1 innings. For his career, with one day off, he has a 5.46 ERA.

Inherited runners are 4-for-13 in scoring against him. Not bad.

While these numbers can’t give me a final truth about Durbin, it does tell me he’s better off starting innings and working with a clean slate. And it’s better to either use him on consecutive days, or every few days in the middle-relief role. Could he make a viable starter? Possibly, but his career 5.83 ERA and .291 AVG as a starter suggests middle relief pitching is more his suit.

Moreover, watching Durbin, I find he isn’t overpowering, nor does he have the stuff to completely baffle hitters. What makes Durbin good is his ability to throw pitches that don’t get him burned. He’ll walk a few batters, but he’ll throw strikes at varying speeds, throwing off timing and getting guys to swing into outs. He’s not the guy you want in there late in a game, nor is he a guy I would want dictating a start — Durbin is right where he should be, working the swing role, pitching the sixth and seventh innings and finding ways to get guys out.

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Utley, Eaton Dust Off Rockies

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Wed, May 28, 2008 11:26 PM

The Phillies took care of the team that swept them out of the 2007 playoffs with a clean 5-0 sweep in 2008. Tonight it was the end of a 3-0 home sweep, with Adam Eaton throwing a good six innings for his first win, and Chase Utley guiding the offense with his Major League-leading 17th home run. The 6-1 win puts the Phils at a season-high seven games over .500 and 0.5 games back of the first place Marlins, who lost to the Mets, 7-6, in 12 innings.

Eaton allowed just four hits and a walk in his six innings. He struggled a bit in the third inning, surrendering a run, but bad Rockies baserunning took away the greater threat. Eaton threw 98 pitches and looked comfortable, attacking hitters with fastball strikes and dizzying breaking balls. Give the man credit — he went after an inexperienced Rockies lineup, and like Jamie Moyer and Kyle Kendrick before him, never let up.

Then there’s Utley, who continues to demonstrate why he’s the top National League vote-getter for the All-Star Game. His mammoth upper deck home run in the sixth was the winning shot and the decisive blow off a weary Greg Reynolds. The Rockies’ rookie pitcher walked eight but tiptoed out of trouble throughout the game. His bad control finally caught up to him with Utley damning him handsomely. And as has been the case since his return from injury, Shane Victorino set the tone. He was on base 80 percent of the time tonight (three hits, a walk), stole two bases and scored two runs. He’s now hitting .291 and generally causing menace whenever he reaches base.

Geoff Jenkins supplied two runs via a moonshot to right field in the sixth, his fourth of the season. He’s now hitting .290 — since May 17 he’s raised his average 35 points. Clearly Victorino and Jenkins are responding as they get more time to play.

The bullpen had another night of mop-up work, with Ryan Madson ducking out of trouble in 1.1 innings, JC Romero cleaning up the eighth and Chad Durbin finishing it off for an inning.

There’s nothing like putting a team away for the season, forgetting all about them and knowing you owned them when you played them. Sure the Rox were missing a few key players (Matt Holliday, Troy Tulowitzki, Brad Hawpe, etc.), but a team is a team and wins are wins. Eaton has another good start to build on. The offense can take a short rest after their four-game high-scoring streak. The bullpen got plenty of necessary rest. Now, breathe, and get ready for the year’s biggest test yet: The first-place Florida Marlins.

Associated Press photo

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Gamenight: Rockies (20-32) At Phillies (30-24)

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Wed, May 28, 2008 05:20 PM

The Phillies will try to sweep the Rockies away from Philly tonight, and thus win the season series with a clean 5-0 mark. That would be fantastic.

Hihgly touted Rockies’ prospect Greg Reynolds gets his fourth start tonight. He pitched six scoreless innings in his second start, but that is sandwiched by two four-run efforts. The right-hander carried a 4.86 ERA in 33 innings for AAA Colorado Springs this season, before being called up to Denver.

He will be facing a tough Phillies offense that has been striking the ball lately. Shane Victorino is carrying a nine-game hitting streak into tonight’s game. Chase Utley, the leading vote-getter in NL All-Star balloting, has his own on-base streak to uphold.

Adam Eaton, fresh off a 7 IP, 3 ER start, gets the ball for the Phils to confirm the sweep. He’s living on a prayer.

Phillies: Adam Eaton (0-3) 5.37 ERA
Rockies: Greg Reynolds (0-1) 4.08 ERA

Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EST
Weather: 66 degrees, sunny
Lineup: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, Ruiz, Eaton

MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gameday beer: In honor of Pedro Feliz, who is hitting the cover off the ball lately, we go with Pete’s Wicked Ale. I think Pete’s Wicked Ale is one of the first beers I’d heard about growing up. I mean, aside from the obvious Buds and such, Wicked Ale seemed to be one I remember. It’s a good brown ale, nothing too clever about it. But it works well in moderation. Eat some pork chops and biscuits with it.

Go Phillies!

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All-Star Ballots: Utley Leads All NL Players

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Wed, May 28, 2008 03:20 PM

Chase Utley is the leading All-Star Game vote-getter for the National League with 537,788 votes. That’s more than 100,000 more than the next-highest player, Chipper Jones of the Braves. Utley is third among all Major Leaguers in votes, behind David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez of the Red Sox.

The big story of the voting is how much Cubs players are ruling the ballots. They have a position player in every top-five, with leaders at catcher and outfield (two). Travesty alert: Ryan Theriot is beating Jimmy Rollins at shortstop (same kind of travesty as how Mark DeRosa is beating Dan Uggla … and Kaz Matsui is beating both of them, too). Of course, this might have to do with long homestands for both the Cubs and Astros during the first weeks of voting. Hopefully.

Here are the leaders, with how Phillies are faring:

First Base
1. Lance Berkman (HOU) – 329,473
5. Ryan Howard – 140,683

Second Base
1. Chase Utley – 537,788

Third Base
1. Chipper Jones (ATL) – 420,664

Shortstop
1. Hanley Ramirez (FLA) – 268,386
5. Jimmy Rollins – 156,620

Catcher
1. Geovany Soto (CHC) – 343,427

Outfield
1. Alfonso Soriano (CHC) – 352,267
2. Kosuke Fukudome (CHC) – 325,456
3. Ken Griffey Jr. (CIN) – 300,230
6. Pat Burrell – 220,596

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Prospect Report: Lou Marson

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Wed, May 28, 2008 01:41 PM

Prospect: Lou Marson
Position: Catcher
Birthday: June 26, 1986
Dimensions: 6-1/195 pounds
Level: AA Reading

Marson has been talk of the town lately. So far this season he’s been one of the major keys to the Reading offense:

41 G, 22 R, 2 HR, 31 RBI, 32 BB, 31 K, .345 AVG, .462 OBP, .460 SLG

The second-leading hitter in the Eastern League, Marson finds the bases. He’s been on base 50 percent of the time in May, according to Baseball America’s weekly Ten Pack. The report also says he’s thrown out 39 percent of would-be base stealers. Very impressive.

The right-handed-hitting Marson, a fourth-round draft pick in 2004, has made the standard climb of the ladder, starting at age 18 in the Gulf Coast League and moving each year to a new venue. In Clearwater he finished with a .288 average and .373 OBP. Not bad. This year he has broken out and is starting to project as an everyday catcher along the lines of Mike Lieberthal. Meanwhile, he’s been handling the same big-prospect pitchers (Carlos Carrasco, Josh Outman) for the past few years, and they’ve been consistently good. He seems to have found his all-around game.

Estimation: Marson is probably a full year away from contributing to the Phillies. Looking at the Phils’ situation, Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste are both arbitration eligible after this season. It’s possible one will be here next year, one won’t. If so, it’s likely the Phils would bring Jason Jaramillo up as a backup for a short while, before Marson is ready. Then again, Marson could be ready by Opening Day 2009. No matter what, he should be up for good by midseason ‘09.

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Kendrick’s Best Start Eases Phils Past Rockies

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Wed, May 28, 2008 09:19 AM

Judging by the first two innings last night, it seemed possible the Phillies would break a franchise record for runs scored in three games. But the offense cooled as the game progressed; no worries, Kyle Kendrick pitched maybe his best Major League game and the Phils won, 7-4.

Kendrick went a career-high 7.1 innings, giving up just two earned runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking one. And he looked dominant at times, effectively mixing a fastball (topping at 94 at one point) with his changeup and a breaking ball. He induced 10 ground outs and generally kept the Rockies off balance all night.

The offense got to work early, getting their runs by the second inning. It looked like another blowout — Greg Dobbs drove home two with a single, Pedro Feliz drove in two with a double, Chase Utley collected another RBI and continued his consecutive games on-base streak. (Victorino continued his hit streak, as well.) It was all clicking again, and off Ubaldo Jimenez, who had good-looking stuff. The Rockies bullpen was able to shut down the Phils (one hit in four innings).

The Phils bullpen, meanwhile, gave up some runs in garbage time. Tom Gordon, getting his first work in a few days, let an inherited runner score on a two-run Ryan Spilborghs home run. He’s been the only Rockie who’s hit the Phils in this series. Brad Lidge also surrendered a run, but he was up by four and had to deal with the hour-and-a-half rain delay, which probably didn’t need to happen. They could’ve called the game in the eighth.

But the game wasn’t as close as the final score, mainly because Kendrick was dealing. When you get starting pitching like that, you don’t need to score 20 runs.

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Burrell Out Of Lineup With Neck Stiffness

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Tue, May 27, 2008 07:36 PM

Pat Burrell was scratched from tonight’s game against the Rockies because of a stiff neck. Harry Kalas reported Burrell is day-to-day.

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Gamenight: Rockies (20-31) At Phillies (29-24)

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Tue, May 27, 2008 05:52 PM

Yesterday the Phillies scored their most single-game runs in almost a decade. The offense is heating up now, so hopefully they can continue the pain when Ubaldo Jimenez lines up against the good guys tonight. He has fared well in his past three starts, going into the seventh in each. Kyle Kendrick, meanwhile, hasn’t pitched much in the past two weeks (5 IP his last start, a rain-shortened inning and change before that).

Pedro Feliz has raised his average 50 points in a week. Ryan Howard and So Taguchi are the last Phillies to climb over the Mendoza Line, with Taguchi doing so last night with a 3-for-5 effort. Geoff Jenkins returns to the lineup tonight, and Greg Dobbs starts in left field for Pat Burrell, however, as a right-hander takes the hill.

Phillies: Kyle Kendrick (3-2) 5.19 ERA
Rockies: Ubaldo Jimenez (1-4) 4.61 ERA

Gametime: 7:05 p.m. EST
Weather: 76 degrees, possible storms
Lineup: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Dobbs, Jenkins, Feliz, Ruiz, Kendrick

MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gameday beer: Truly one of the best beers in the world, Rodenbach Grand Cru, a Flanders red ale, is an absolute treat. Brewed with aged malt and yeast and then mixed with other old ales, it’s a fine collection of flavors — all natural flavors. Has a distinct cherry taste. You can get it at Monk’s in Philly. I suggest it. Drink it with some smoked halibut.

Go Phillies!

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