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.

Cole Hamels Pitches Phils to First Place... Alone

Jimmy Rollins draws first blood again. It wasn't in the first inning this time, but boy was it timely.

Being there in person makes it very vivid. Let me set the scene.

Top of the 4th. Cole Hamels had just settled in after struggling a bit in the second inning giving up 3 hits but being bailed out by forcing a double play to end the inning. The 3rd inning Cole began to find his groove with 2 strikeouts, but really hit stride by striking out the side in the top of 4th, priming the fans for what was coming in the bottom of the 5th.

Greg Dobbs singled to lead off the 5th. Ruiz followed him by being beaned in the hand. 1st and 2nd, nobody out, Cole Hamels is up.

Hamels lays down a perfect bunt moving the runners to 2nd and 3rd. This is where it gets fun. Amidst twirling rally towels and "M-V-P" chants, Rollins confidently stepped up to the plate and lived up to his new moniker by smacking the first pitch up the middle scoring both Dobbs and Ruiz. Proving once again why he is so important to this ball club. He scores 'em and drives 'em in. How many other lead off men do you know with 93 RBIs?

Rollins, however can not over shadow the superb pitching performance of Cole Hamels. Hamels' only trouble came in the second inning (mentioned above). After the second inning, Cole Hamels recorded 13 Ks through the next 6 innings. In other words of the 18 outs recorded from the 3rd inning through the 8th, only 5 were not Strikeouts. That is impressive. Hamels struck ou the side in the 4th and 6th, including 5 in a row from the 3rd through the 5th. Cole Hamels was doing his best Cole Hamels impression tonight. And despite a Ryan Howard homerun a Chase Utley RBI double, an excellent catch by Aaron Rowand and a two run single by Rollins, he is without a doubt the MVP of this game.

8 inning pitched, 6 hits, 0 Runs, 13 Ks, 1 BB - and 1 bullpen pitcher used. Meaning , our pen will be well rested for the weekend games, and more importantly for tomorrow's game when Adam Eaton is scheduled to pitch. So Manuel should have a short leash tomorrow with Eaton and all the bullpen stooges.

Oh, and in case you live in a box and only have access to the Phillies game through a transistor radio, the Mets lost.

Phils lead the East by 1 game with 2 to play. That sounds pretty good doesn't it? I have tickets to Sunday's game as well, here's to happy times.

Pic below is my wife and I at tonight's game. (Isn't she beautiful?) She made me take this same picture 6 or 7 times until she was satisfied with the results. I'd be happy to post all them by request.

PS - He said it not me...

"It's embarrassing. It's pretty pathetic." - David Wright on the Mets' "Colossal Collapse"

"Do we smell it? Yeah, of course we smell it." - Charlie Manuel

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.

Die Another Day: Lohse and Rollins Spark Phils

With the result of the Mets' game still in the balance, the Figtin' Phils have done their part in staying in the hunt, and getting back on the winning track.

Once again, Jimmy Rollins started things off with a bang. Not since Lenny Dykstra has someone at the top of the Phillies' lineup meant so much to the success of this club.

Yesterday, Rollins led off with a homerun. Today, it was a triple. We'd score several more times in subsequent innings on a Chipper Jones miscue and again on a clutch pinch hit homerun by Shane Victorino.

"But the big story tonight..." to borrow a line from Philly's own Jim Gardner, was the pitching prowess of Kyle Lohse. Lohse was nothing short of solid pitching 7 full and giving up only a 2-run homerun in the 4th. Since acquiring him several months ago, the Phils are 6-0 behind Lohse. I think he's pitched well enough to warrant a contract for next year. But we'll worry about that later.

7 innings, 6 hits, 5 Ks, 0 BB and 2 ER.

Today was as close to a must win as we've had this season. This was undoubtedly the most important game of the season and the Phils responded. Even the bullpen played well.

As I write this Nats have a 7-6 lead over the Mets in the 7th, meaning the Phils may wake up tomorrow down 1 game in the East. The Padres play later, but will definitely be feeling the pressure from the Phils' victory.

Great match-up tomorrow: Smoltz, 9-4, 2.96 vs. Kyle Kendrick, 9-4, 3.83.

Stay tuned Phils fans, there is more to come.

Die another Day.

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.

Tom Gordon Ruined My Blog!

Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley came up big last night. Rollins' NL leading 9th homerun tied the game in the 8th.

Two batters later.... Utley connects on a solo shot extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Meanwhile, Rowand homored earlier in the game to record a hit in a league leading 15th straight game.

It appears to be turning into one of those stretches where there is a new hero every night.

On another note, Wes Helms, who is yet to go yard in pinstripes had an impressive 14 pitch at-bat in the 7th inning. It was a signal that the Phillies were not going to go down lightly. Here is the pitch sequence.

1. Foul
2. ball in the dirt
3. called strike high in the zone
4. foul
5. foul
6. foul
7. foul
8. foul
9. ball inside
10. ball high and inside
11. foul
12. foul
13. foul
14. in play, SINGLE to left field

An impressive sequence of pitches...

Wait.... Tom Gordon just ruined my blog entry... he just allowed the tying run to score on a double to left... Gordon now has 3 blown saves in 6 opportunities. Not good. I have a 7 AM flight tomorrow and I'd like to get some sleep... but now I have to stay up and will this team to win...

Bourn is leading off the 9th. He was used as a pinch runner for Burrell.

Bourn has walked, and now our hottest hitter, Aaron Rowand is at the plate. Let's sit back and see how Manuel plays small ball. Do you bunt a hot hitter? I would....

Base hit, Aaron Rowand!!! His 4th hit of the night puts the winning run at 2nd. NOW!!! Would be a good time to bunt.

Helms has a conference with Steve Smith, 3rd base coach. I'd bunt them over in this situation. Helms shows bunt and takes a ball.

Helms bunts the second pitch and the pitcher had no play. Bases loaded, nobody out. Carlos Ruiz, who has hit well this season, simply needs to lift it to the outfield.

Infield Single for Carlos Ruiz!!! Put this one in the win column for the Fightin' Phils!!!

Tom Gordon gets an undeserved win. He's got to go. We need to find relief. Good night.

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.

Adam Eaton is a Battler... Name that Phillies

It appears as if the Phillies have finally shaken off their offseason dust and are nice and clean and ready to meet expectations.

Last night's torrid attack of 20 hits and 11 runs is a great way to start their first official winning streak. (3 in a row).

And despite his giving up 4 runs in 6 innings, I think you have to hand it to Adam Eaton for keeping his focus and settling down. It would be very easy for Eaton to let the Astros trade runs with the Phils, but that didn't happen. Eaton is a gamer.

I think that Adam Eaton will win a few games on determination alone. He proved last night that he is more than just a pitcher.

Eaton recorded his second hit of the season last night... he's batting .200 through 3 starts. Eaton also broke up a double play with a hard slide... and he allowed Jimmy Rollins to get a triple by getting a good read on the ball and hustling around to score. If that is any other pitcher, Rollins would be forced to halt and second for a double. Good job Eaton.

Eaton will probably be one of those guys that will get a lot of decisions. (12 wins 10 losses, something like that), because he's a battler who will do everything to keep his team in ballgames. Like he did last night.

It was nice to see every starter in the lineup with a hit... 5 phillies had 2 or more hits... 4 of them had 3 or more (Rollins, Victorino, Burrell and Helms)

Let's get some bug spray and fend off the Nats!

PS - In lieu of Rollins almost hitting for the cycle, it is interesting to note that the last Phillie to hit for he cycle was David Bell in 2004, and before that it was Gregg Jefferries in 1995)

Name that Phillie

Does anyone know which Phillie has hit for the cycle twice? (yes both in a Phillies uniform)

He's pictured to the right...

Jimmy Rollins Leads the League in Homers

Don't look now, and don't jinx him by spreading the word, but our leadoff hitter Leads the National League in homeruns, with 6.

The next closest are Carlos Lee, Adam Dunn and Miguel Cabrera, who are all legitimate homerun threats. Rollins is actually tops in the entire MLB. He is tied with AL leader Alex Rodriquez.

Now I know that Rollins will not lead the league in homeruns, nor will he lead our team in homeruns, but it is nice to know that one of our guys is doing something to get some recognition.

Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are pretty much unmentionable at this point. Pat Burrell on the other hand is playing pretty good baseball. (Burell was 2 for 4 today with another hit and an RBI)

I was always an advocate of trying to get Rollins to hit the ball on the ground more and get more infield singles and line drives. I was always stressing the fact that he had to learn his role, strike out less, pop-up less and play more like Juan Pierre. He's kind of done that. His strikeouts are way down and it is true that he doesn't seem to pop-up as much in recent years. My question is how can he legitimately do his job as a leadoff guy while swinging for the fences? Is he swinging for the fences? It is tought to tell but to date.. I won't complain...

.298, 6 HR, 11 RBI, 12 R

... is not something to complain about having only played 9 games. Keep up the good work Jimmy. The rest will follow.

Today's win versus the Astros was actually my first chance to catch a glimpse of the 07 squad. Living in Atlanta, without cable one can only watch the Phillies when they play nationally televised games. That said, I met up with some of my buddies who I met at the bar where I watch the Eagles to partake in the Phillies nationally televised game on Fox. Fortunately they won.

Burrell continued to play well. Utley showed sparks of his previous brilliance with 3 hits including a homerun, and Carlos Ruiz, who totaled 2 hits, 2 runs and an RBI, showed why he should be getting more time that Sucks Barajas.

The Phils have won 2 out of 3. It's a start. Let's take this momentum into tomorrow, auction off the Jackie Robinson #42 jerseys and be on our way to a victorious season.

Game Log: Phillies Win Over Mets, April 11

In Game Thoughts

First inning, uneventful.. Victorino stung the ball but to no avail, he was robbed of a hit.

Top of the 2nd Inning

7:36 - After two walks in a row to Burrell and Helms, somehow Aaron Rowand managed to strike out. Putz.

7:39 - Rod Barajas just drew a walk to load the bases and more importantly turn over the lineup to try and get the top of our order an opportunity to bat with men in scoring position. This makes Rowands walk look even more suspicious.

7:40 - Eaton Strikes out, to end the inning. Phillies Leave 'em loaded. First threat is dead.

I'm disappointed Rowand couldn't put his bat on the ball to move the runners... how about a bunt in that situation, to put men at 2nd and 3rd? Does Elmer understand how to use the bunt?

Bottom of the 2nd
Momentum is going our way. After loading the bases, a quick inning by Eaton is a good sign for the momentum of this game. 1-2-3 inning. Without scoring any runs, we won that inning.

Top of the 3rd
7:50 - Victorino grounds out to short. Victorino has hit the ball hard twice... good sign that he's progressing. He'll get a hit today.

This pitch progression thing with MLB Gameday is pretty cool. You can go to past at bats and watch the pitch progression.

7:54 - Perez's 4th walk in two innings. 26 balls, 26 strikes after 52 pitches. Another scoring opportunity with a runner in scoring position and our best hitter, Burrell is up. (please don't strike out with that long, slow swing...)

7:56 - Burrell works the count to the 3-0. Takes a strike on the outer half of the plate. Burrell is a Met killer, remember all those homeruns he used to hit against this team... let's repeat history Pat?

7:58 - The 3-2 pitch to Burrell... High. Ball 4. Bases loaded again... Momentum is definitely wearing a grey and red jersey.

7:59 - Ball one to Helms. He should take 2. He does. Two balls, no strikes. Low, ball 3. Take all the way. Let's draw first blood... The 3-0 pitch... is low, ball 4.

The Phils take a 1-0 lead. Great discipline by Helms and Burrell not to swing at ball out of the zone.

8:00 - After walking 3 in a row... what is Aaron Rowand doing swinging at the first pitch... somebody tell this guy how to bat... and now he's down in the count 2-2 because he swung at another pitch out of the zone... Does he watch the game?

8:03 - Rowand walks and brings in another run. 2-0 Phillies. Lucky, what a stupid at bat. To follow his other stupid at bat.

Aaron Sele is warming up for the Mets.

8:05 - Rod Barajas is hit by a pitch to bring in another run. Pitching change. How often do you see a pitching change right before the pitcher's spot in the batting order.

3-0 Phillies. Eaton has some breathing room.

Bottom 3 - Eaton walks a guy but puts down the Mets easily. Phils lead 3-0, after 3.

Top 4
8:23 -- Victorino is robbed again... he can't buy a hit today. He's hit the ball hard 3 times with nothing to show for it.

Bottom 4
Beltran leads off with a double. Let's see how Eaton battles through adversity here with Delgado, Wright and Alou due to bat.

After a good battle, with a few 3-2 foul balls, Eaton loses Delgado. The Mets have men at 1st and 2nd. Now's a good time for a double play. Eaton gets ahead 0-2. Don't get beat here... (see Brett Myers, 8th inning game one...) Damn! Eaton hits Wright to load the bases...

Nice... Alou hits into a 4-6-3 double play... Beltran score on the play but now we've got 2 down and the damage will be minimized. Green flies out to left to retire the side.

That double play is bigger than most think... to get out of a bases loaded, nobody out jam with allowing only 1 run is a good thing.

After five, the Phillies hold a 3-1 advantage.

Top 5
8:39 - Two balls no strikes to Howard, a hitter's pitch.. good time to look fastball... Howard gets a fastball but flies out to center.

8:41 - Infield single for Helms. Good to stay away from the 1-2-3 innings.
8:42 - Rowand gets an infield hit too....
8:43 - Barajas flies out, ending the threat.

I'm satisfied with that inning because it brings the top of our order up again. Even though we didn't capitalize on the back to back hits, and Eaton is leading off, we'll get to our big guns sooner.

Bottom 5
8-9-1 due up for the Mets. Should be an easy inning.

8:47 - 8:51 - Infield hit for Valentin. Sele bunts him over to second, and Reyes singles to bring in the run. Mets cut the lead to 1.

1 out, man on first, not a good time to lose the lead. Reyes is a burner and might be looking to run. Phillies are keeping Reyes close with snap throws from Barajas and Eaton. Good baseball.

Phillies pitch out and nail Reyes at 2nd. Great call. Good execution. Elmer Fudd did something right. Good job. I wonder if Elmer called that one?

8:54 - LoDuca flies out to center and the threat is stopped.

After 5, the Phillies hold on to a 3-2 lead.

Top 6
8:59 - Triple by Rollins. Larry Anderson is so unexciting on the radio... I saw the triple on the Game Day feature before the delayed audio, and I expected to hear some exciting commentary, but it wasn't... it was uneventful slop. He sure doesn't give me goosebumps.

9:00 - SAC Fly by Victorino. Phils take a 4-2 lead. Just desserts for Victorino getting an RBI there after hitting the ball hard 3 times.

Bottom 6
Eaton enters this inning with 79 pitches. If he can get a quick inning, no reason he doesn't pitch the 7th too. (47 strikes, 34 balls)

Eaton strikes out Beltran. And gets Delgado on a lazy fly. Two quick outs. If anything, this start is very encouraging as to what we can expect from Adam Eaton. He's not overpowering but he seems to be smart and makes good pitches.

A big, 13 pitch 1-2-3 inning for Adam Eaton. He's got 92 pitches, there
s a slight chance we'll see him start the 7th. If Eaton doesn't bat this inning, I'm betting we'll see him go one more.

Top 7
Sele's done a pretty good job of keeping the Phils in check. Let's see how he does with our 4-5-6 hitters.

David Wright is playing a good 3rd base. Though I can't see it down here in Atlanta, I can hear it, and this is at least the 3rd time he's gone to his right, backhanded a ball and made a play. He just robbed Burrell of a hit... though Howard, who walked, did advance to second. Burrell's 7 game hitting streak might be in jeopardy.

9:18 - Madson is warming up.

Aaron Rowand has justified his two stupid at bats with a big 2 out double to score Howard. With first base open, the Mets intentionally walk Barajas to get to the pitcher's spot. Manuel decides to stick with Eaton and allow him to bat with a 5-2 lead. Interesting choice. Considering all the trouble the Phillies have had with their bullpen this is a good decision. Eaton subsequently pops out to end the inning.

Bottom 7
This is where Adam Eaton, with 92 pitches, needs to bear down and keep that bullpen off the field as long as possible. He needs to finish this inning. Madson is 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA. Gordon has a 9.00 ERA also...

Eaton gets Shawn green to fly out for the second out on his 99th pitch. Eaton then proceeds to walk Valentin on 4 pitches. But he comes back to get pinch hitter Newhan.

That should do it for Eaton.
7 IP, 2 ER, 5 Ks, 3 BBs

A solid outing by Eaton. He's put us in a position to win the game. My fingers are crossed that our bullpen can hold 'em in check.

Top 8
9:32 - Alfonseco is now loosening up in the bullpen. Alfonseco has a 2.70 ERA... whew!

Rollins finally gets to Wright. E-5, Rollins on at first. It would be great to manufacture a run here. I'd expect a bunt from Victorino. He squared on the first pitch.. but not on the second. Maybe he was bunting on his own... How about a hit and run... Victorino's been hitting the ball solidly... and it can't hurt to be agressive. I wonder if Elmer is even thinking right now. Does he know what a hit and run is?

9:36 - Wow... A hit and run. Rollins was running and Victorino fouled it back. Elmer is thinking!!
9:39 - A balk by Feliciano has put Rollins in scoring position. Let's take advantage of this gentlemen!

9:42 - Utley is hit by a Phantom pitch... Utley had a check swing and got back in the box... the home plate umpire awarded Utley first base saying he got hit. Clearly, Utley thought he fouled it because he got back in the box...

Two men on for Ryan Howard, who has homered in 5 straight games vs. the Mets. Nope. Strike out. The slump continues. The Phils are 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position tonight.

Bourn, a defensive replacement for Burrell is having a pretty good at bat. He was agressive early in the count, fouled off a pitch. And then took 3 balls to fight back to 3-2. He's fouled off 2 straight 3-2 pitches. He's putting himself in a good position to succeed. Another fould ball. Outside ball 4... an 11 pitch walk. Great job by Bourn. That at bat impressed me. Good discipline and good protection. He loaded the bases and the Mets go to the pen to bring in pitcher #5.

The Mets bring in RHP Joe Smith. Manuel decides to stay with Helms and the righty vs. righty matchup. He has the lefthanded bat of Dobbs on the bench, who also happens to play 3rd base. If he's not confident with Dobbs' glove, we've still got Nunez. Plus we'd still have Werth and Carlos Ruiz to pat for the pitchers later. Let's use our resources Elmer. Helms pops out.

The Phils go to the bottom of the 8th leading 5-2.

Bottom 8
6 Fingered Alfonseca is on the mound. He makes a statement with a 9 pitch, 1-2-3 inning.

Top 9
Rowand walks to lead off the 9th. The Phillies have walked 11 times tonight and two batters have been hit by pitches. That is 13 extra baserunners. It goes without saying that the Phils have left 13 men on base.

The Phils lead the league with 51 walks thus far. We just can't seem to bring them home.

10:07 - The Phils go down quietly in the 9th, leaving Rowand stranded and increasing men left on base to 14.

Bottom 9
Flash Gordon, is on in relief in the 9th. Gordon is looking for the save. I'm of the school that always believes the first batter is the most important in these situations. Get him out and you've got 'em.

Gordon K's Delgado for out #1. That should do it. The Mets' fans our heading to the exits.

10:14 - Mets have some life. David Wright singles to center. "Hey Sal, c'mon back, Wright just got on." Some of the Metropolitan faithful are once again interested and borrow some seats closer to the exits. But not for long...

Gordon strikes out Alous and the Mets fans once again file out of Schea.

10:16 - Shawn Green grounds to Howard for the final out.

The Phils snap a 3 game losing streak and get a much needed win. A strong outing by Eaton will be the big story. And the Phils will be criticized for leaving 14 guys on base. Also, I'd like to highlight the two stupid at bats by Aaron Rowand. And kudos to the bullpen for doing their job... no wait.. that's what you're supposed to do...nevermind.

Phils win 5-2, with 5 hits and no errors. Player of the Game Adam Eaton.

Jimmy Rollins Makes Us Smile

The Phillies have not been doing much to make us happy so far. But at least J-Roll is doing okay. He's got 3 homers, 7 runs, 6 RBIs and a big mouth. That mouth haunted him today in New York when he made a key error in the 8th. The Mets fans let him have it.. Rollins' miscue led to a 7 run 8th inning by the Mets allowing them to cruise to an 11-5 victory.

Some reasons the Phillies are 1-6;
As a team, the Phillies are hitting .188 (13-for-69) with runners in scoring position.

And today was the first day where both Utley and Howard had an extra base hit in the same game. We can't afford to have that happen once every 7 games.

For now, let's enjoy Jimmy's inside the parker. Notice how he's sprinting out of the box, he doesn't score otherwise.

If it were My Team...

If it were my team, I would have kept Placido Polanco at 3rd base over David Bell.

David Bell had a career year in 2004 batting .291 with 18 HRs and 77 RBIs. His average was about 30 points higher than his career average... his stock was high. It was time to trade him and get something out of it...

If that would have been done, then last year's fiasco at 3rd base with Nunez, never would have occurred. Polanco would have given us his .295 average and solid defense... which is better than what Bell gave us last year.

But.. if it were my team, I would have coddled Scott Rolen from the beginning and payed him what he was worth and give him more than just Abreu and Burrell as company. If I would have done that, then we never would have traded for Polanco, nor would we have needed Bell, and the whole Nunez experiment never would have occurred, and we'd still have a great hitting, gold glove 3rd baseman.

If it were my team, I'd still have Curt Schilling. He, like Rolen, would have been given his fair share, and I would have surrounded him with other talented pitchers. It's not easy being the King when you don't have any Knights to protect you. Though I'm not sure if I would have taken a chance on a young kid with a mustache like that. He might still be an Oriole, if it were my team.

If it were my team I would have hired Jim Leyland over Charlie Manuel. Ed Wade made the wrong decision there. But we'll have to live with it. On that note...

If it were my team I would have gotten rid of Ed Wade years ago... and the decision of Leyland vs. Manuel would have been a whole lot easier because I would have never gotten rid of Larry Bowa.

If it were my team, Ed Wade would not have stayed as GM as long as he did.

With Ed Wade out of the picture, my team never would have tried to sign J.D. Drew, knowing from the beginning what a prick he was. And since we weren't set on J.D. Drew, then we never would have been given the chance to draft Pat Burrell and some other team would have had to deal with him.

So.. if it were my team, and I didn't want to deal with JD Drew, I probably would have picked the next best outfielder in the draft, Vernon Wells, chosen 5th by the Blue Jays.

(http://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/1997draft.shtml)

Vernon wells consistently hits 25-30 homers, 100 RBIs and bats .300 every few years. And he strikes out less than 100 times a year. And he's rarely hurt. Burrell, on the other hand... well we know about Burrell.

To sum it up.. if it were my team, I would have Larry Bowa as my manager, and I'd have Vernon Wells, Scott Rolen, Curt Schilling and Jimmy Rollins.

I'd still have Rollins because he was drafted in the 2nd round in 1996. Since Ed Wade, who I might have hired considering he came up through the ranks and earned his chance to be a GM, took the job as a right of passage in 1997, the Rollins thing still would have occurred.

Also...looking back. If it were my team I still would have brought in Mitch Williams in Game 6 of the '93 World Series. So we probably still would have lost... I'm not one of those jokers who claims he was yelling at the TV to leave in Larry Anderson... that's bull... you wanted Mitch, just like the rest of the Phillies' Nation.. it just didn't work out.

If it were my team, would we still have been given the opportunity to have Chase Utley and Ryan Howard? Would my team have done more to make the playoffs in years past eliminating the chance to draft such studs as Utley and Howard? I don't know.

What I do know is that is always fun to imagine what I'd do, if it were my team.

Rollins to Remain at the Top

A few days ago I chimed in with my thoughts on the Phillies' lineup. It was basically a retort to Bill Conlin's idea to bat Jimmy Rollins in the 5 spot.

I wanted Rollins to remain in the leadoff spot to use his speed to score runs. Conlin compared Rollins to Soriano and wanted him to use his bat to get RBIs. The jury is out... here's" a report from the Phillies saying that "leadoff is where he'll stay".

No, no and no.

Those were the answers to a line of questions that involved the
possibility of someone leading off other than Jimmy Rollins. Manuel said Rollins
will remain his leadoff hitter, with Victorino likely to hit behind him.

"Rollins could hit different places, but compare him to all the other
leadoff hitters and see how he compares," Manuel said.

Rollins finished tied for second (with teammate Chase Utley) in the
National League with 127 runs scored in 2006.

It is an obvious 1-2 punch using Rollins and Victorino at the top to get on base, when you've got arguably 2 top 10 hitters in the game batting 3 and 4.

The Phillies' Lineup

In yesterday's Daily News Bill Conlin predicted what might be the Phillies' lineup. Here is what he came up with.

1. Shane Victorino - RF
2. Aaron Rowand - CF
3. Chase Utley - 2B
4. Ryan Howard - 1B
5. Jimmy Rollins - SS
6. Pat Burrell - LF
7. Wes Helms - 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz or Rod Barajas - C

It is not bad, though despite some good arguments for Rollins in the 5 hole, I'm not sure this is the best way to go.

Conlin's rationale:

Rollins had only 10 fewer extra-base hits last season than Soriano (89-79), only
12 fewer RBI than the Nationals' leadoff man and struck out exactly half as many
times while having a far superior stolen-base percentage.

Surprising numbers from Rollins for sure... but wouldn't we want some more speed in front of Utley and Howard? Don't get me wrong, it is nice to have 25 homers out of your shortstop. Especially since he's cut down on his strike outs and pop-ups. I used to beg him to be more like Juan Pierre... but now.. might we be able to will him to be more like Soriano?? Maybe I'm a traditionalist. But I want Rollins in the leadoff spot.

And for some reason, I always though someone like Rowand would be a good #6 guy. He's not quite the second leadoff guy you sometimes see in that position, but he is a veteran who I don't think is shaken by pressure. That said, if Utley and Howard are pitched around in late innings, and Burrell strikes out in pressure situations, I think Rowand is just the type of guy to surprise you with a clutch hit.

Here is my proposed lineup.

1. Jimmy Rollins - SS
2. Shane Victorino - RF
3. Chase Utley - 2B
4. Ryan Howard - 1B
5. Pat Burrell - LF
6. Aaron Rowand - CF
7. Wes Helms - 3B
8. Carlos Ruiz or Rod Barajas - C

This gives you two speed guys at the top who are going to get on base and distract the pitcher, which you can't complain about. Then back to back clutch hitters. The 5 Spot is stil manned by Burrell, who let's face it, has some power. Then the second half of the order is not too shabby, when all things are considered. Helms is a potential .285 batter, and Barajas has some pop.


I'm satisfied with this lineup no matter where these guys bat. We have the solid foundation for a winner. That, with a solid starting staff where someone like Lieber is expendable. Good things are afoot in Philadelphia. There were years when we were relying on guys like Brandon Duckworth, Terry Adams and Vicente Padilla.



So we're in a good situation.



PS - I'm still convinced that Padilla has the stuff to be an ace. But he's a head case. We'll see how he fairs with Texas.