Phillies Nation

Gamenight: Phillies (43-38) At Rangers (41-40)

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sat, June 28, 2008 07:28 PM

Break out the flotilla.

Vicente Padilla starts for the first time against his former team. In David Murphy’s Phillies notebook today, Padilla tells us it was the weather that made him so bad — when he was bad — for the Phils. A quick look at his splits with the Phils showed his ERA was a little better in July and August, somewhere around 3.40. Oddly enough, he had an amazing 2.97 ERA in 32 starts at Veterans Stadium. So is the heat? Maybe. This year he’s been pretty good for the Rangers — better than 4/5 of the Phils rotation.

Luckily the best fifth is up there tonight. Hamels is coming off a strong start against Los Angeles, a start where he couldn’t get a win. He could use one, and so could this team.

The lineup tonight is somewhere between normal and crazy. Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino are back at the top, but Pat Burrell is still in the cleanup spot with Greg Dobbs getting the six-hole. Chris Coste gets the start at catcher and Dobbs is your DH.

Phillies: Cole Hamels (7-5) 3.27 ERA
Rangers: Vicente Padilla (10-3) 3.74 ERA

Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EST
Weather: 95, partly cloudy
Lineup: Rollins/Victorino/Utley/Burrell/Howard/Dobbs/Feliz/Werth/Coste

MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gamenight beer: We’re starting the second half with my all-time, No. 1, top-of-the-shelf favorite beer. That’s right, this is my favorite — better than all the 100+ I’ve drank in my young drinking life. Ladies and gents: UFO Raspberry Hefeweizen. Yes, a fruit beer. The raspberry taste doesn’t overwhelm at all, and it doesn’t quite taste like a beer, but you know it’s a beer. It’s refreshing, can make you a bit tipsy after a couple and is perfect for a summer evening. Like this one. What to eat? It goes with a lot, but I recommend pouring some in baked chicken and going with that. Enjoy. And come on Phils!

Go Phillies!

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Should Myers Start Again?

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sat, June 28, 2008 11:17 AM

After last night’s fiasco, the Phillies have seemingly hit a crossroads with Brett Myers. Charlie Manuel had a few choice things to say about his opening day starter:

“Can I say his job is secure? I don’t know what to say, if you want to know the truth. We’d have to find somebody to do his job first, I guess.”

Options:

• James Happ (3-5, 3.86 ERA, 81 K in AAA)
• Carlos Carrasco (4-4, 3.91 ERA, 72 K in AA)
• Kris Benson (scheduled to start Sunday in AAA)
• Chad Durbin (2-1, 1.47 ERA)
• Ryan Madson (1-0, 2.90 ERA)

Of the five I’d go with Happ. He starts today for Lehigh Valley and could slide in Thursday, when Myers is set to go again. He deserves a shot.

Charlie …

“We’re trying to get him right. Myers’ best year is 14-9 as a starter. You stop and think about it, that’s not lighting it up. I mean, look, that’s not what you call a huge season. He’s had some bumps. He’s had moments on the mound where he’s had some struggles.”

Ouch.

“Our expectation of Myers was always an 18-, 20-game winner. I said before the season started that in order for us to win, we needed 16 to 20 wins out of [Cole Hamels and Myers]. That’s kind of how we always evaluated him. His talent has always been there. Right now, things aren’t going too well for him. He’s having trouble.”

Read: Mental problems. And control issues, but they stem to his mental problems. Myers seems to be freaked by a potential home run (see Ian Kinsler, first inning) that he’s not trying to even come close. When there’s a headcase, there’s a change of scenery necessary.

Bring up Happ; Manuel knows something must be done, and he’s right.

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Rangers Shut Down Phils; Lead Down To 1 Game

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sat, June 28, 2008 02:30 AM

Brett Myers performed miserably, giving up five runs on five hits and four walks in two innings. And his performance kept the Rangers in the game, leading to their 8-7 win. The Phillies broke out to a 5-1 lead thanks to a Pedro Feliz grand slam, but Myers couldn’t hold onto it. With the game tied, Milton Bradley knocked a solo home run to give Texas the lead, and they never looked back.

Yet again the offense couldn’t deliver when necessary. A mini-rally in the second inning yielded no runs; altogether the Phils left 20 men on base. Start with Jimmy Rollins — swinging at the first pitch and giving no room for error, Rollins went 0-for-5. He looks like a zombie out there. Ryan Howard went 1-for-4 and struck out three times. And each strike out looked horrendous.

In the eighth inning Rudy Seanez gave up a run, which turned out to be the winning run. A Jayson Werth homer in the ninth wasn’t enough.

Still, the blame is on Myers, who is all but finished. Carrying a 5.84 ERA, Myers needs to sit his next start. No longer is he an option to help this team win — either bring up a Minor Leaguer or give Kris Benson the OK to start. Myers needs to sit out, figure out what is wrong with him, then come back at some point and deliver. There’s not much faith in him to be even a league-average starter. His downfall is the sad story of the year, and it kept the Phils from winning what looked to be an easy one against Texas. Instead the Phils are back in a hole, needing a huge start from Cole Hamels to rectify the damage.

Associated Press photo

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Gamenight: Phillies (43-37) At Rangers (40-40)

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, June 27, 2008 06:10 PM

Another series, another hope that maybe, just maybe, this team wins it.

The Phillies are coming off a brutal 5-0 loss to the Athletics, where Rich Harden basically demoralized them. Now the Phils play the Rangers, and are visiting Rangers Ballpark for the first time. With tonight’s game the Phils will have played in every Major League ballpark, and have hosted every team in Philadelphia. I believe that makes the Phils the first team to do such.

It’s also game No. 81. Folks, after tonight we’re at the halfway mark of the season. Wow.

The Phils go up against Kason Gabbard. Kason is an incredibly rare name, something like the 880th most popular boy’s name in America. I think Gabbard and maybe a couple kids in West Virginia and Texas have this name.

The Phils bring Brett Myers out, who needs to be shut down. And the offense has to be better. They’re hitting .181 in their last eight games.

Rangers stud hitter Josh Hamilton is a gametime decision after being hit in the hand by a pitch.

Phillies: Brett Myers (3-9) 5.51 ERA
Rangers: Kason Gabbard (2-3) 4.96 ERA

Gametime: 8:05 p.m. EST
Weather: 96, sunny
Lineup: Werth/Utley/Rollins/Burrell/Howard/Feliz/Victorino/Coste/Bruntlett

MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gamenight beer: The hoppy Berkshire Maibock comes from Massachusetts, but is a very German beer. It’s light and a good beer for this time of year. As we try to focus in on this team getting a few hits, let’s take some easy sips, chow on some fried shrimp and just enjoy the fine-looking Rangers Ballpark and the hot, hot weather in Arlington tonight.

Go Phillies!

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Report: Phils Asked About Greinke

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, June 27, 2008 03:04 PM

According to Rotoworld, the Phillies and Brewers have expressed interest in Royals starter Zach Greinke.

The 24-year-old Greinke is 7-4 with a 3.40 ERA this year. For his career the 2002 first round draft pick is 28-39 with a 4.40 ERA. From Rotoworld:

Greinke is a free agent after 2010 and figures to be a tough sign for Kansas City, but if he stays healthy, he’ll likely have at least as much trade value in a year as he does now. The Royals would have to be blown away to deal him. The Brewers, though, could tempt them if they’d offer Mat Gamel and either catcher Angel Salome or shortstop Alcides Escobar.

Yeah, the Phils would need to offer a heck of a lot to get Greinke, and frankly, I can’t believe they’d have enough.

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Carrasco, Marson, 3 Others Named To Futures Game

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, June 27, 2008 11:46 AM

Here’s some cool news: Four farmhands are going to play at the MLB Futures Game during All-Star weekend in the Bronx.

The U.S.A roster will include:

• OF Greg Golson (who is currently injured)
• C Lou Marson
• SS Jason Donald

The World roster will include:

• SP Carlos Carrasco

Antonio Bastardo was also named to the World roster but replaced because of injury. The five players means, at first glance, the Phils had the most representatives selected. A good sign the farm system has improved recently.

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Benson To Start Sunday For IronPigs

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, June 27, 2008 10:46 AM

Yesterday it was reported Kris Benson has been promoted to AAA Lehigh Valley after a successful start in Clearwater.

Benson will start for the IronPigs Sunday against Syracuse.

I’d think if Benson excels in two to three starts he could see his way on the big league roster. My blind guess is July 11 against Arizona or July 18, the first game back from the All-Star break, in Florida. He’s lined up with Jamie Moyer, so don’t look for Benson to immediately be pushed into the rotation upon hopeful arrival.

It’s nice to have Benson as a possible contingency plan. Of course the Phils will still need that elusive No. 2 starter. But Benson could provide a boost to the back end (though we can’t really say Eaton, Kendrick and Moyer have been bad). Really, this is the best kind of rehab news you could have.

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Harden, Phils Offense Work Together In 5-0 Shutout

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, June 27, 2008 09:32 AM

The Phillies lost another series — their fifth in a row — in a 5-0 loss to the Athletics. Rich Harden pitched an almost flawless eight innings, striking out 11 Phils and giving up just two hits. He walked one. He threw just 95 pitches.

In fact the only Phillie to hit Harden was Shane Victorino. That’s it. Jimmy Rollins struck out three times, as did Jayson Werth. Geoff Jenkins struck out twice. Everyone else just kind of stunk.

There’s not much more to say about the offense at this point. They were impatient and allowed Harden to rack up the Ks with ease. It seemed from the onset, with Harden striking out two in the first inning, there would be no shot for the Phils.

To his credit Adam Eaton didn’t pitch poorly, but gave the A’s an early lead with two first inning runs. He went seven innings, giving up six hits and three runs while striking out six and walking three. Tom Gordon was again useless out of the bullpen, letting the A’s score twice off a couple hits in the eighth.

Not that it would’ve mattered either way. The Phils offense is bad. Very, very bad. Somehow they remain in first place in the National League East. It’s a shame they’ve gone 4-11 and not even 6-9 in their last 15.

Maybe with the Phils heading to Arlington the offense will wake up. And maybe facing Kason Gabbard, Vicente Padilla and Eric Hurley will help. Then again, should we expect it?

Associated Press photo

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Gameday: Phillies (43-36) At Athletics (42-35)

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Thu, June 26, 2008 02:03 PM

I’d really like to break out one of the great movie quotes of all-time, thanks to a Mr. Lou Brown. But we first need a win today.

The Phillies and A’s finish up their Interleague three-gamer, and the Phils can possibly take the series in the getaway. They’ll have to do it via Adam Eaton, who hasn’t pitched that poorly this season. If he can get a bunch of innings and keep the score low, they’ll have a shot.

A shot because Rich Harden is pitching for the Elephants. The Canadian-born righty is 4-0 with a 2.44 ERA. He has only had one poor start of his 10 thus far, missing considerable time in April with a right shoulder strain. On June 8 against the Angels he struck out the first three batters on nine pitches.

Righties are horrendous against Harden (.179 AVG, .567 OPS), but lefties are doing considerably better at .245 and a .675 OPS. Needless to say it’ll be a tough go today.

Jimmy Rollins is back at leadoff, but Pat Burrell is in the three-hole. Geoff Jenkins is the DH.

Phillies: Adam Eaton (2-5) 4.94 ERA
Athletics: Rich Harden (4-0) 2.44 ERA

Gametime: 3:35 p.m. EST
Weather: 69, mostly sunny
Lineup: Rollins/Utley/Burrell/Howard/Dobbs/Victorino/Werth/Jenkins/Ruiz

MLB TV
MLB Gameday Audio
MLB Gameday

Your gameday beer: The Victory Brewery out of Pennsylvania has a witbier called Whirwind. It looks kind of fun judging by the label, though I don’t know if I’d like my foam to have a smiley face. Still, witbiers are good beers, and I recommend a summery dish with this — how about a grilled chicken salad?

Go Phillies!

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Should Phils Market Myers As A Reliever?

Posted by Tim Malcolm, Thu, June 26, 2008 11:55 AM

Talk here has shifted to Brett Myers’ trade value, especially as a reliever. Many posters here at the Nation have been discussing Myers as a trade chip, and if teams would like him as a closer/setup man.

If the Phils market Myers as a closer/setup type he would be worth more, but how much? Remember, Myers is worth about another $9M after this season, which is on the higher side for setup men and closers, but certaintly not tops. Bottom line is teams would be interested in Myers as a closer, but the Phils would need to pop some prospects on top of him to make it a friendly deal.

My problem with marketing Myers as a relief pitcher is how long it’ll take to get him back into that mode. It’s not the easiest transition going from starter to closer, especially when you’ve done it once already. Would the Phils switch Myers to the bullpen to show him off before a trade? To me that’s a risky move that could damage your pen more than you think.

There’s also the issue of Tom Gordon, who is seemingly more injured than we’re being told. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt if Gordon sees considerable time on the DL very soon. That will reconfigure the bullpen, and it’s not cut and dry that Myers can drop into a setup role and contribute immediately. It’s more likely Myers would get phased into the front of the bullpen while Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson become more responsible for the later innings with JC Romero.

But that’s a recipe for potential disaster. If the Phils can market Myers without moving him to the ‘pen, that’s one thing. It’s another thing to “experiment” once more during a playoff run. Obviously the Phillies need another starting pitcher, but they’ll need ready relief help, as well. For now it should come from the farm system while getting Myers back on track as a pitcher first.

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