No Offense, No Win

Okay, okay, so we scored 5 runs. Big deal. Four of those runs came from the NL MVP Jimmy Rollins.

Yesterday's problem was the top 4... and I give them all the credit in the world for stepping up today.

Rollins was 2 for 5, with a run and 4 RBIs.
Utley got 2 late inning hits, though I would trade both for a more timely one.
And Howard had 2 hits including a homerun, though he did leave 3 men on base.
Finally, Victorino came through in a PH role and produced a run with a single and a SB/E-2. He was eventually knocked in by a Rollins ground out.

So the "superstars" kind of answered the call today. But the offense stopped there.

Nobody Hits, woohoo!

If you combine the totals from the rest of the team you'll see the numbers are pathetic. Excluding the aforementioned Rollins, Utley, Howard and Victorino, the team was 2 for 20. Burrell, Helms, Werth and Iguchi all managed walks, but that was it.

I'm not saying the offense is the only thing to blame for this loss. Our bullpen is exposed, though they've been exposed all year. But I am saying that our offense is not clicking on all cylinders which can lead to a laugher like this one.

The decision to pull Kendrick in the 4th with the bases loaded is easy to criticize because Lohse was beat deep by Matsui who is not a homerun hitter. Had he gotten him out, it would be a different ball game. Now I'm not a genius, but Matsui, being a contact hitter enjoys balls low and probably can't catch up to the high fastballs, otherwise he'd have more homers. So instead of pitching him up, Lohse gives him a low strike to hit. I'm just sayin'...

And then there's Mesa. Enough said... the ball game was over when Mesa came in and starting walking guys and giving up doubles, that's never a good sign.

We've a tough road ahead having to pull off 3 in a row... It's not impossible, but it sure is daunting.

I'll leave you wall with a song. Sung to the tune Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry", hopefully this will bring back some recollection of what we used to have and bring us some good karma from this regular season.

"No, Offense, No Win"

Said - said - said: I remember when we used to score
At Citizen's Bank Park in Philly,
Ob - observing the hot sticks
As they would mesh with the good defense we'd play.
Good games we won, oh, good games we've lost
Along the way.
In this great game, you cant forget your bats;
So dry your tears, I say.

No, offense, no win;
No, offense, no win.
Oh, little Phils fan, don't shed no tears:
No, offense, no win.

PS - I like our chances with Jaime Moyer. It takes a crafty, veteran with off-speed stuff to slow down hot bats. We'll just need to sacrifice a chicken to get our going.

Phils Superstars are Superduds in Game 1

When the top 4 players in your lineup go a combined 0 for 15 with 9 strikeouts, you're not going to win many games.

The bottom line is, that the triumvirate of Rollins, Utley and Howard, who make up arguably the best infield in the league, did not perform. We'll let Victorino off the hook for now, because he has been out for some time, and let's face it...he's not on the same level as the other three.

There is no doubt that Rollins, Utley and Howard were the 3 biggest reasons we made the playoffs in the first place, but when you get there they have to perform. I'm not mad at them, I'm just analyzing the game and their failure this afternoon is the biggest reason for the loss.

Consider these numbers:

Rollins: 0 for 3, 1K

Victorino: 0 for 4, 1K

Utley: 0 for 4, 4Ks (ouch!)

Howard: 0 for 4, 3Ks

Total: 0 for 15, 9 Ks

If you have any other reason for losing that game... you're wrong!

On the pitching side, thanks to his long sleeve shirt, Hamels had one bad inning and then was lights out, retiring 15 of the last 16 batters he faced. He pitched well enough to win. Too often it seems like Hamels falters for an inning early in the game and then settles down, only to have that early inning haunt him. Maybe he doesn't warm-up enough in the pen before the game. Maybe he needs some of the pressure of pitching perfectly taken off his shoulder. I don't know. He pitches well enough in all the other innings to warrant his praise. He's pretty damn good.

It's not a good thing when you lose a game at home in a shortened series. Now we have to win 3 out of 4... for some reason, even with the Phillies late season push, it seems daunting. It will seem a lot easier if we can get the first one under our belt. It won't be as hard as Uncle Charlie trying to get all his fat under his belt...

Tomorrow's match up brings together two rookies. Kyle Kendrick vs. Franklin Morales. Of the 2 Kendrick has a lot more experience. Morales has only pitched in 8 games this year for a combined 39.1 innings of major league experience. Another stat in our favor is that Kendrick is 7-1 at home with a 3.76 ERA. It will be a contest of who will blink first, my guess is Morales. Kendrick is consistently credited with being calm and even-keeled regardless of the situation, and after a few first inning playoff jitters, I've no reason to believe that tomorrow will be any different. We'll jump on Morales early, wake up our superstars and win one handily.

First Blood Leads to First Place

Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino helped the Phils draw First Blood to set the tone for the rest of tonight's contest.

Rollins continued his MVP caliber play leading off the game with a single. Dejavu, considering he led off last night's game with a triple and joined the 30/30 club the night before by leading off that game with homerun. That kind of spark, speaks volumes.

Drawing First Blood is what makes Jimmy Rollins the National League MVP.

What might be overlooked tonight is the kool, kalm and kollected play of Kyle Kendrick. K2 earned his 10th win of the season, pitching 6 solid innings, the first 5 of which were scoreless.

And after 2 homeruns by Howard and Burrell, 6 runs scored (1 each by the first 6 batters), and over 40,000 rally towels, the dust settled and the Phillies ended up in first place. Thanks in large part to our continuous winning and the Mets continuous losing.

The Phillies are in first place. I will sleep well tonight.

PS - I have tickets to tomorrow night's game and Sunday's game. It should be a fun weekend.

Congratulations to our Phillies' All-Stars!

The 2007 season was one that started with a lot of optimism. Not since the signing of Jim Thome has the city been so excited about the boys in red and white. And for good reason.

The end of the 2006 season brought many positives to the franchise. The Bobby Abreu trade seemed to bring new life to the Phillies as they nearly played their way into a playoff spot.

The offensive prowess of the middle infielders (Utley and Jimmy Rollins), and the amazing play of the National League MVP Ryan Howard was enough to give you goosebumps... but wait... there's more.

The off season brought in 17 game winner Freddy Garcia... we resigned veteran Jaime Moyer who helped lead us in August and September. The Phils added proven starter Adam Eaton and seem to have a logjam in the starting rotation... so much that many were calling to trade some of the excess.

Cole Hamels' rookie performance was good enough to impress even the most fair weather of all Phillies fans.

We were "the team to beat" in the National League... or so Jimmy Rollins would have us believe.

Unfortunately, things happen. Injuries happen. Slumps happen. Bad trades happen. Barajas happens. And when things happen, it throws plans out of whack... this is the story of the 2007 Philadelphia Phillies...

But... let's look at the bright side. We have 3 All-Stars. Congratulations to Chase Utley, Aaron Rowand and Cole Hamels. With a nod to Jimmy Rollins, you all deserve to be there. I have no doubt that Utley, Howard and Hamels, will not be making All-Star break vacation plans for years to come. And Jimmy will make his appearances now and then....we're privileged to have all for of these guys on our side...

3 All-Stars is a good showing.... 4 would have been nice... but 3 is great.

Remember the days when the Phillies would have the obligatory, All-Star players? You know, because every team must be represented? That is when we had something to complain about.... when Kevin Gross and his efus pitch was our All-Star.

To make us feel a little better about our recent slide... let's remember some of those obligatory All-Stars... at least from my generation.... because I have no idea who Ken Raffensberger is!

1996 - Ricky Botallico

1990 - Lenny Dykstra

2003 - Randy Wolf

1997 - 1998 - and although well deserving.. Schilling was our lone representative.

1991 - John Kruk

2000 - Mike Lieberthal

Let's be thankful that we have a handful of perennial all-stars on our team and hope that the front office will surround this core with solid role players to do something with....

Congratulations to Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and Aaron Rowand.

That's More Like it... Eaton shuts down White Sox

That's more like it... an easy, uneventful Phillies victory.

The delay in postings was because of our move to Philadelphia. We are now officially settled, and can re-start our lives in our beloved hometown....

Tonight was my first opportunity to watch a Phillies game front to back on Comcast. And boy, The Sarge is terrible... When reading about his boringness on other blogs, I didn't think it would be that bad... but it is... He has got to go. And they team him up with Chris Wheeler, who I think is in love with every major league baseball player.

Adam Eaton pitched very well. He pitched 7 strong innings, and it may have been 8, had he not been taken out for a pinch hitter in the bottom of the 7th.

Eaton has managed 7 wins despite his 5.42 ERA. To me, someone with a lot of decisions, usually pitches well enough to stay in ball games and be carted out there every 5th day. Remember when Schilling used to win 15 and lose 13.... you have to be good lose 13 games. (And weren't we all rooting for Schill last week with his no hit bid... tough luck!!! It would have been neat to see Curt get a no-no.)

The Phils only managed 4 hits, though 3 of them were homers. Pat Burrell started things off with a long-slow-methodical swing which just so happen to make contact with an outside fastball... it left the park.

Ryan Howard hit a "second decker" to add some insurance. And finally Jimmy Rollins added his 11th homerun of the year, once again showing his power surprising power.

PS - Brett Meyers was throwing a little bit today (with his left hand). The good news is he's out and about and probably ready to start rehabbing. Where will Uncle Charlie put him? Alfonseca seems to be doing okay... and now that the Phils have Joe Table, do we still put Meyers in the closing role, or does he take Garcia's spot. One more time through the rotation before that decision is made, as the Phils have called up Kyle Kendrick, from Reading to pitch the last game agains Chicago. How fitting is it that he's a pitcher with 3 Ks ini his name. I'm a KK also, but I don't have that third K... and I'm not a major league pitcher.

PSS - The acquisition of Joe Table (aka Jose Mesa) begs the question... Is Ricky Botallico available?

The Phillies' Fab Four

When you think of the Philadelphia Phillies, the first names that pop into your head are probably Howard, Utley and Rollins. Add to that, the best pitcher in the National League Cole Hamels.. and you've got yourself a pretty good core of great young players.

Today, The Fab Four forged forward flattening San Francisco, 5-2.

Hamels contributed greatly with a 5 hit, complete game posting his NL leading 8th victory. Rollins respectfully scored a run and recorded an RBI. Utley scored twice, and Howard hit in the clutch driving in 2.

Previously I mentioned that we would be saying the words Howard and Hamels an awful lot in the coming years. Today was no exception. Howard and Hamels helped hand homerun boy and his hackless teammates a big L.

But, Howard and Hamels.... need some help.

Howard and Hamels

Howard and Hamels. The names flow nicely. As nice as Schmidt and Carlton or Bunning and Callison.

Howard and Hamels.

Say it to yourself, quietly at first... and then louder. Now shout it...Howard and Hamels. Nice, right?

Be prepared to say these words with confidence, and practice it so that if flows off your tongue nicely, and without hesitation. Howard and Hamels.

Howard and Hamels are going to help this organization win some ball games. Howard and Hamels are going to be perennial All-Stars. Howard and Hamels will be MVP and Cy Young candidates for years to come. Howard and Hamels are young. Howard and Hamels are Superstars in waiting. Howard and Hamels will be the future of this franchise.

Oh, and don't look now, but we've also got the best shortstop/second base combination also. Utley and Rollins are pretty damn good too. Rollins and Utley sounds good too. Or is it Utley and Rollins...

Rollins to Utley to Howard... not quite the same as Tinkers to Evers to Chance... but Howard and Hamels... wow, that sounds nice.

Howard and Hamels helped us complete the sweep of the Atlanta Braves this afternoon. Howard contributed with 2 homeruns, leaving the Mendoza line behind and proving that he is back to his old self. Hamels, simply pitched 6 innings with 3 earned runs and 8 Ks. Hamels now leads the league in strikeouts with 86 in 74.2 innings. Good stuff, huh?

Howard and Hamels. The names should make you smile. They are the future.

Oh.. and one more thing. Cue Dick Van Dyke and the dancing penguins, and get the bratty kids on the set... we've swept the Braves like an old chimney... "Chim chimery, chim chimery, chim chim cheroo..."

Can't wait for the next Hamels outing to be able to say these words again... Howard and Hamels.

Bring on the Diamondbacks...

PS - The real reason why Cole had a back injury is because he threw a ball so hard it went all the way around the world and hit him in the back. (http://www.colehamelsfacts.com/)

You are the Weakest Link... Goodbye!

It appears as if our reigning National League MVP is our weakest player. Our $900,000 baby is not holding up his end of the bargain. The new face of Major League Baseball is getting a lot of time to watch his friends run around the bases...

To date, Ryan Howard is the weakest of our eight everyday position player starters. His .213 average is nearly 70 points lower than our next worst starter.

Howard has to uncross his bats, to take off the hex... but I'm sure he knows that.

All in all, that's pretty impressive.

Granted, Chase Utley's 5 for 5 game tonight raised his average nearly 50 points, but it is still encouraging to look at our 7 starters without an MVP trophy and smile at their current averages.

Rollins - .295

Victorino - .282

Utley - .296

Burrell - .344

Helms - .290

Rowand - .365

Ruiz - .296

That kind of production is going to score some runs. It doesn't matter if we're hitting singles, doubles or homeruns, this offense is going to score runs.

This offense has finally woken up and is no longer relying on Jimmy Rollins to provide the pop. Burrell is still hitting. Rowand has a 13 game hitting streak. Utley has finally woken up, and Helms, Victorino and Ruiz are doing there jobs very well.

Now if we can just wake up our sleeping giant, Ryan Howard, we'll be in good shape and we'll be tough to beat. At this point though Ryan Howard is the least of our worries. He seems to be hitting a homerun now and then (he hit his 3rd tonight), he's still getting on base via the walk and is still finding ways to drive in runs... he's got 12 to date.

On another note....

Another strong outing by a Phillies starter. Lieber pitched well tonight. 6 innings (that's half a dozen, Jon), 2ER, 5Ks, 0 BBs and a victory.

Tomorrow night is Cole Hamels. This guy is a stud. Hamels is coming off a 15K performance and has pitched solid in every outing. His opponent, Shawn Hill has not let up more than 2 earned runs in any of his 4 previous starts. It should be a great game tomorrow. Two young arms. I'm looking forward to a pitcher's duel.

Skeeter at Driven to Center believes we'll continue our winning ways and end April at 13-12... it is definitely doable.

That's More Like it...

I think we can all release a sigh of relief. The Phillies know how to win. They've proven they can win two in a row. In fact, in their last 10 games the Phillies are starting to be respectable...

5-5 in their last 10... 3-1 in their last 4.... and 2-0 in their last two... they've finally won 2 in a row.

Tucked within the nuances of these latest games, the Phillies have begun to show signs of life...

Cole Hamels has proven that he's a stud... 15 Ks is impressive...at any time. (He leads the Majors in Strikeouts)

Garcia got one of those things we've been waiting for him to get... a win.

Ryan Howard is finally starting to produce... he had 3 RBIs today. And Utley appears to have found his stroke, as his average is slowly rising... and he has quietly produced 10 doubles.

We're not that bad after all...

He's Still a Bargain

The Phillies dutifully gave Ryan Howard a well deserved raise. The Phils have renewed Howard's contract for 1-year at $900K. Both sides were hoping to reach a multi-year deal, but were only able to agree to this one year deal which surprisingly does not have any incentives.

Howard, who made $355,000 last year, is in the history books as being the highest paid player not eligible for arbitration in league history. His contract matches that of Albert Pujols who received the same raise after his rookie season in 2003. That's not bad company.

It's encouraging to know that the Phils are now doing what this city has always wanted and rewarding their talent in an effort to keep them here.

Although Howard can't become a free agent until 2011, both sides are hoping to reach a multi-year deal well before that point.

Unlike previous administrations, this Pat Gillick team has a "goal to keep our star players in red pinstripes". With the recent signings of Utley and Howard, you know they're following through.

PS - Ryan Howard homered in his first at bat of spring training, only a few hours after inking himself a new deal. I think we're in for another fun ride.

How Weird! Howard to be renewed...

Gone are the days when we we would wait until the last possible moment to offer our talent a desperation contract to try and keep him in the city. (see Scott Rolen and Curt Schilling). And if we did lock up our talent, it was a mistake (see Pat Burrell).

We're now in the days where we're locking up our big name talent years before we really have to worry about it. Utley received his $85 million, and now the Phils are negotiating with Ryan Howard's agent for a deal to give him what he deserves.

We're taking a page out of the Joe Banner/Andy Reid Book of "How to Run a Sports Franchise". Kudos to Pat Gillick, and I can assume Reuben Amaro should get some credit too... for keeping their talent happy.

Philly.com has the report.

Here are the details:

• These are preliminary talks with Ryan Howard's agent, Casey Close.
• There will be a one-year or multi-year deal by March 2.
• It is expected Howard will be rewarded with more than $1 million
• Howard is not eligible for free agency until 2011, and eligible for salary arbitration after the 2007 season.

It appears as if Ryan Howard's contagious smile is about to get bigger. Congrats Ryan! You deserve every penny.

PS - First full squad workout is tomorrow.

PSS - Did you know the BJ Novak character on the office is named Ryan Howard?(he was the intern)