PHILLIES: Injury Updates and more..

Besides arguably the Boston Red Sox, the Philadelphia Phillies are likely the most injury-plagued team in all of baseball. The number is up to seven on the disabled list, with one other (Brian Schnieder) missing time without being on the DL due to an injury. Instead of hearing names such as Utley, Polanco, and Ruiz in the regular lineup, the scoreboard announcers are now resigned to read names such as Dobbs, Valdez, and Sardinha on a daily basis.

Scary thought.

But when will this nightmare end?

INJURY REPORT

Chase Utley: Besides a win against the Braves on Monday night, there was other good news to come out of Citizens Bank Park. Heard from for the first time since he underwent surgery on his thumb five days ago, Utley said he hopes to be back in 6 weeks. 6 WEEKS! That’s a breath of fresh air considering doctors, baseball insiders, and even the team trainer were saying that Utley wouldn’t see the diamond until at least the beginning of September. I’m not sure if Utley is accurate, but if you average the two, meaning you get Utley back HEALTHY between the middle of August and the 1st of September, consider it a success.

Placido Polanco: Not much to report on the Polanco front. On Thursday, team trainer Scott Sheridan reported that Polanco would miss 3-4 weeks due to his inflamed elbow, and that seems to be the accurate time table. Polanco will rest for at least another couple days, and will start a rehabilitation program into the AS break. If all goes well, Polanco should be back within a couple days after the All-Star Game on July 13th.

Ryan Madson: After being sidelined the last two months for breaking a toe while kicking a chair in frustration, Ryan Madson might actually be ready to come back and contribute at the big league level. He is clearly on the last legs of his rehab, in which he is slated to throw two straight nights at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. One night of that rehab is over and done with, and even though the results weren’t great to say the least (2/3 IP, 1 ER, 2 BB), if all goes according to plan (meaning his surgically repaired toe does not fall off) Tuesday night, he should be activated to the Phillies roster by this weekend.

J.A Happ: After six rehab appearances in three minor league levels, Happ finally appears to be finally getting back to full strength. In his last rehabilitation appearance at Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Sunday, Happ’s velocity sat in the low 90′s, and his first three innings pitched were perfect. The problem is that his last two innings (4 ER), most certainly were not. With Happ, the question is not whether he is healthy again, the question is whether his stuff is good enough right now to get out big league hitters. While Happ is confident in his stuff, Charlie Manuel and the rest of the Phillies front office brass think otherwise. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Happ was activated from the DL on Tuesday, and then optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Carlos Ruiz: Ruiz looked like he was a couple days from returning, and then it was reported that he was still feeling symptoms from the concussion he endured after getting hit in the back of the head by a bat swung by Jason Kubel of the Twins. Head injuries are tricky, especially when it involves catchers, who have call all nine innings during these dog days of summer with 10 pounds of extra equipment on. Don’t count on seeing Chooch until AT LEAST the end of the All-Star break.

Chad Durbin & Antonio Bastardo: There is a lot of the unknown surrounding these two members of the bullpen that are out of action. Durbin (hamstring) and Bastardo (left elbow) are both on the 15-day DL with injuries that will take much longer than 15 days to cure. Getting Ryan Madson back will help people forget about Durbin, but Mike Zagurski’s inconsistent performance as a member of the Phillies bullpen is making Bastardo’s presence at a situational lefty missed.

OTHER NOTES

: The question still lingers. Will the Phillies make a trade for an infielder to account for injures to Utley and Polanco? Time is winding down a little bit, but I still think they make a deal. The two most likely candidates still have to be Baltimore’s Ty Wigginton and Seattle’s Jose Lopez because of their ability to play both INF positions, but Arizona’s Kelly Johnson may be the surprise choice because Arizona has trade needs at positions that the Phillies have alot of depth in (Remember, the Diamondbacks were interested in Kyle Kendrick at one point last year).

: In the past, I know I’ve said that people should be patient with Phillies #1 overall prospect Domonic Brown. My original philosophy is becoming quite difficult. In 12 games since being called up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley, Brown is absolutely obliterating the competition. As the proud owner of a stat-line that reads “.405 BA, 4 HR, 11 RBI’s”, he is surely creating a buzz that Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth can’t be too comfortable about.  It’s not just the stats. After watching him live the past six games and seeing his 400+ ft. bombs in person, the kid is THAT good. It should be interesting to see if the Phillies listen to offers for Jayson Werth at the deadline (Raul Ibanez won’t have much of a trade value due to his age, contractual issues, and most importantly, his recent lack of prouduction) .

Would I?

In one word, yes. As much as the Phillies and their fans love Werth, you have to at least take the time to listen to offers with Domonic Brown assauting minor league pitching  just an hour away and one level below.

PHILLIES: Surgery for Utley

And the news isn’t promising.

Early Thursday morning, MLB Network’s Peter Gammons reported that Utley’s thumb will require surgery, something that Phillies Beat Writer David Murphy repeated shortly after. Apparently, the ligaments in his thumb were torn to the extent that they could not heal naturally, and Todd Zolecki has confirmed that the procedure will take place today, likely derailing the all-star 2nd basemen for at least 8 weeks.

The outlook is clearly not good. As I stated in a previous post, the difference between losing Utley for 15 days and losing Utley for 60 days is HUGE. While the Phillies now have to deal with these injuries along with a depleted farm system, they do have some some options if Utley were to have surgery.

In reality, a lot has to do on the health of Placido Polanco. He is in New York right now seeking a second opinion on his chronic elbow condition to his non-throwing elbow, and if the prognosis is good and allows him to come back soon after his 15-day DL stint is complete, then Ruben Amaro, Charlie Manuel, and company have a choice to make.

Do you go out and get a 3rd baseman in FA or via trade, and spare  Polanco to the extent that you can and play him at 2nd?

Do you go out and get a 2nd basemen in FA or via trade, and let Polanco resume his normal duties as the everyday 3rd basemen?

With Castro and Valdez being middle-infielders by nature, I would say to the capacity that you can, keep in Polanco at third. Sure, Hank Blaylock and Garrett Atkins are both on the FA market and are naturals at the hot corner, but they are on the FA market for a reason. Neither are close to the level of Polanco, even at his present injured state, and with him semi-healthy at 3B along with the surprise-of-the-season Wilson Valdez at second for the next month or two to fill in for Utley, the Phillies may actually be able to survive this disaster.

That is IF Polanco can come back healthy. A Big IF.

And Utley of course..

Other Phillies News

: ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported Thursday that the Phillies have Dan Haren on their “radar”. Arizona is looking to deal him, along with the 12+ million dollars that he is owed next season. If  this is true, then is shows that the Phillies are seriously interested in adding a pitcher, and that money isn’t as much of deal-breaker than we think. If that’s the case, my question is why don’t you bring back Cliff Lee instead?

: Along with Blaylock and Atkins, here are a couple other names to look at as potential replacements for Utley via trade. Seattle’s Jose Lopez and Baltimore’s Ty Wigginton and Miguel Tejada.

: Surely some Philadelphia  fans were a bit perplexed when the Phillies promoted SS Brian Bocock (.179 BA in 65 games)  from Triple-A Lehigh Valley instead of INF Cody Ransom (International League All-Star selection, 15 HR). Reportedly, Ransom has been dealing with a knee injury which is why he wasn’t called up.  So hitting .238 with a team-high 15 errors at Lehigh Valley, and not being on the 40-man roster at the time of the callup had nothing to do with it?

: Bring back PEDRO FELIZ!

PHILLIES: A Reality Check

At 32-29 overall and currently sitting in third place in the NL East, the Phillies can be summed up (just by looking at the standings and the stats) in words that are a bit unfamiliar to those linked with Philadelphia baseball in recent years.

Mediocre. Middle of the pack. Ok.

While those certainly aren’t adjectives that have been, or are expected to be associated with the current talent residing on the Philadelphia Phillies roster, it could certainly be worse. After all, a team who has produced less than three runs a game on average for virtually an entire month, and has had injuries to the top of the order, middle of the rotation, and back end of the bullpen since day one of the season shouldn’t even be near the top of the divisional race. In fact, considering the NL East division is arguably the most talented top-t0-bottom in all of baseball (my apologizes to those who support teams in the AL East, but the record of the Baltimore Orioles ruins your case), they shouldn’t even be close.

The fact of the matter is, for some odd reason (parity is the likely option),  the Phillies are right there in the thick of things, a striking distance 3.5 games back of the 1st place Atlanta Braves. However, unlike the New York Mets and the Florida Marlins, the two teams that Phillies are sandwiched between in the standings, those who have played their home games in Philadelphia for parts of the last four seasons are in quite a familiar position (a thanks goes out to an article by Philadelphia Inquirer writer Paul Hagen for helping me come to this realization).

And look how those seasons turned out..

2007: 47-48 on July 17th (won the NL East pennant)

2008: 48-43 on July 8th (won the World Series)

2009: 39-37 on July 2nd (made it to the World Series)

By the looks of the weather, moments of daylight, and most calenders, it’s still the middle of June. So, after taking a gander at the schedule and doing some hardcore addition, it’s easy to see that the season isn’t over. It’s not August or September. There are still 100 games left until the divisional winner is crowned and the playoffs are set. ONE HUNDRED. That’s more games than the NBA and NFL has combined.

While there is obviously plenty of time to jump two inconsistent and in-experienced teams for another chance at a World Series ring, it is impossible to deny the obvious nature of baseball logic.

You can’t win games if you don’t score runs.

With that said, If the Phillies recent, but lengthy bout with offensive futility continues and becomes their identity instead of a prolonged slump, it’s obviously going to be difficult for the Phillies to be sitting pretty on top of the division for the fourth straight year when it is all said and done.

Will that happen?

I guess we will find out.

But without having any sort of bias, whether that is being a Negative Nancy, a Homer, or anything in between, look at some of the qualities of this team before coming to the recently popular conclusion of conceding the division when baseball is not even halfway through the season.

Ace? Check. (Halladay, Say no more.)

MVP Candidate? Check. (Compare Ryan Howard’s stats with other NL players who play for a contender, and you’ll see that he’s right there.)

Playoff Experience? Check. (22 out of 25 players have been a part of a World Series bound team. David Herndon, Ross Gload, Halladay are the only ones who haven’t.)

Funny, those are the same qualities that usually separate the teams that participate in the postseason, and teams that don’t.

Don’t jump off the wagon just yet fans..

PHILLIES: Jayson Werth´s Beard

After a month-long hiatus (sorry readers), there is just so much to write about regarding the Phillies, I don’t even know where to start.  Predictions for the season, spring training subplots, Roy Halladay, Jamie Moyer applying for his AARP card, Charlie Manuel´s weight loss, the health of the Phillies bullpen, the quest of a comeback season for Cole Hamels, the list could go on for days. Don’t worry, the majority of those topics will be touched upon in due time, but in the mean time, if you want to read about the stuff mentioned above right now, look at David Murphy´s ¨High Cheese¨ blog, Andy Martino and Matt Gelb´s ¨Philly Zone¨ blog, or follow Phillies’s beat writer Todd Zolecki “Zo Zone” blog on mlb.com. They are all are great resources of up-to-date Phillies information that is tough to get out here in Barcelona, Spain.

Jayson Werth sporting his infamous beard

However, while I do have a great deal of respect for all of them, I believe I know something that they all don’t. I think I know something that is more important to the Phillies success than Roy Halladay, more important than the health of the Brad Lidge and the rest of bullpen, more important than the five or so all-stars that make up the middle of the lineup.  Believe it or not, the key to the Phillies season and their quest for a third straight trip to the World Series resides with meaning behind Jayson Werth´s beard.

If you haven’t looked at pictures from Spring Training, or have refrained from looking at the picture to the left of this page, Werth came to Clearwater sporting the long hair and facial hair that would fit the part of a ¨Cast Away¨ sequel.   I mean, there have been plenty of facial hair faux-pas´s in the Phillies clubhouse in recent memory, so the concept is not totally new. For instance, Eric Bruntlett was sporting one for the majority of last season, but it’s not like the beard was a good omen. Bruntlett hit well under .200 while playing sparingly in 2009, was released by the Phillies at the end of the season, and now is battling for a roster spot with the Washington Nationals, a team that has not come within 15 games of .500 since playing their games in the Nations Capital. So, like myself, you may ask yourself a daunting question. Why would he challenge superstition and do such a thing?

Well, there could be a couple of reasons. For one, what better way to come into a season (one that he will be playing for a new contract for that matter) after a career year then looking like a homeless guy? Seriously though, this totally could be a publicity stunt for Werth. Not only will the look bring him attention from the fans, but from other teams as well who are looking for a corner outfielder in the near future. The combination of the beard, along with evidence that his 36 HR´s last season (good for 7th in the NL, 9th in the MLB) was not a fluke, attention will be coming at Werth from all angles, the type of attention that could lead to a heck of a payday for the 30 year-old ex-catcher once he signs the dotted-line for his next contract.

Another reason is that he might be making a statement. Yes, the growth of his beard could be insinuating that he can’t afford the needed shaving cream and razors because he’s poor and not getting the type of money that he deserves, but I doubt that Werth is that egotistical of an individual to take such a drastic measure for something that is so far from what Werth has stood for to this point of his career. From the success that comes of being first-round draft pick, to hitting rock bottom after a position change, career threatening wrist-injury, and bouncing in and out of 3 organizations (wow, I bet the those in the front office for the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Toronto Blue Jays feel must be shaking their heads), and back up to cloud nine by winning a World Series and making his first all-star team with the Phillies, Werth fills the quota for comeback stories in Major League Baseball.  Currently, he’s a symbol of all that is good in a sport that has seen so much bad in the last decade. A natural (non-steroid aided) 5-tool player that plays the game of baseball with extreme effort, surprising fluidity and grace, in which his hard work and natural god given talent is finally coming together at the most opportune time of his career. With that said, Werth´s new look could definitely be coinciding with the crossroads that he is going through in his life, with meanings ranging anywhere from  ¨You can’t get rid of me, I’m here to stay¨ to ¨I don’t give a **** what you think¨ and even the ever-cliché ¨Looks can be deceiving¨.

Last but not least, my thought is that Jayson Werth´s off-season beard will serve as the most accurate summation to the Phillies season.  Here is my proposed idea of the train of thought behind Werth´s beard.

¨A baseball season, while it may get a little ugly and hairy at times, is something that if it’s judged in its entirety, rather than on a day-by-day basis, then the ultimate result, like the recent past, will be positive. ¨

The female following of Werth tells much of the story

Profound, I know, and who knew Jayson Werth could impersonate Socrates so well?  In reality, I think every male would rather have their Fumanchu beard judged at its full potential people rather than in its stubby, patchy, discolored and awkward stage (yes, I am speaking from personal experience). All jokes aside though, it makes sense. The ultimate example of this is the attention that Werth has gotten from, who else, women.  No matter how bad his landing strip beard or homeless look may be, over his past 3-plus seasons in Philadelphia, the attention Werth has gotten from the opposite sex is un-parallel by any member of the Phillies. While male Phillies fans wear their Howard, Rollins, Victorino, Raulllllllll, and now Halladay jersey’s and player t-shirts with pride, the majority of female baseball fans in the City of Brotherly Love can be seen sporting a #28 Phillies shirt  (along with some Chase Utley and Hamels shirts), whether they are at the park or just hanging around the house.

While this analysis may be far-fetched, I truly believe the 2010 Phillies season should be viewed in the light of message that coincides with Jayson Werth´s beard, especially to the ladies. A baseball season is, believe it or not, 162 games, and no matter how bad it may look at times, if the Phillies stay focused on the season in its entirety and take advantage of there rare talent and depth that is far superior to every other team in baseball not named the Yankees, then the success of another division title with a third straight World Series trip will be not only possible, but likely for Werth, his beard, and the rest of the Phillies.

Hope you enjoyed that one. Once the Spring Training games start, the posts will not only be more regular, but more traditional.

Until then, enjoy.

PHILLIES: News and Notes..

It’s been about three weeks since the Roy Halladay deal went down, and finally it seems that the seas have settled in regards to the Phillies off-season moves. 

As of the start of the new year, the Phillies lineup and pitching rotation (except the fifth and final spot) are all but solidified. While it’s pretty standard for a team to return the majority of their nucleus when they were two wins short of back-to-back World Series titles, the Phillies did that, added some depth with Brian Schneider and DeWayne Wise , and made two small upgrades (Halladay over Cliff Lee and Placido Polanco over Pedro Feliz) in terms of talent in my opinion to their player personnel. 

Can’t complain about that.

The only part of the team in a bit of a state of flux right now is the bullpen. Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson will be back, keeping the enigmatic set-up man/closer combination that produced the most blown saves (17) in the National League last year. As for the middle relievers, they may look a little different come opening day. Brett Myers was casted away by GM Ruben Amaro as he cleaned out his locker after the World Series, and it looks like Chan Ho Park will be joining him out the door as well. 

Baez is the newest addition to the current powerhouse of the National League

 

Last week, the Phillies agreed to terms with former Baltimore Orioles reliever Danys Baez on a 2-year deal, as his signing will give the Phillies a replacement for Park as a right-handed long reliever. In regards to replacing Myers, the Phillies will probably look internally within the organization, as a lot depends on what they decide to do with filling the fifth starter role. If Jamie Moyer is good to go health wise, they will probably enter Spring Trainer with him occupying that role on the depth chart, with Kyle Kendrick the candidate to take the place of Myers alongside Chad Durbin as middle inning men. 

In terms of left-handed relievers, Antonio Bastardo will be in line to take over J.C Romero’s job for the first month of the season, as Romero will still be recovering from off-season surgery. However, the real x-factor in this category is Scott Eyre.

Eyre is still unsure about deciding to return to the Phillies next season, as he’s reportedly leaning towards retirement. If Eyre stays, all is well, and the Phillies will most likely go into the regular season with two left-handed relievers on the opening day roster. If he chooses to hang up the cleats, look out for a free-agent signing or two in the future. 

Lastly, if you think the Phillies are going to try to make a move to counter the Mets signing of Jason Bay, you are mistaken. Bay is just another example of a powerful right-handed hitters that are known for existing in the NL East (David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, Hanley Ramirez are just examples), and the Phillies, with the addition Halladay and Baez, have already the necessary moves.

PHILLES: Rodrigo Lopez Gets the Call…

It’s official! Rodrigo Lopez has been called up to start Friday’s opener against the Mets. Lopez will be starting in place of Antonio Bastardo, who will need a “couple weeks” to tend to his strained shoulder, his injury being well-documented in past posts. Before readers, fans, and Phillies followers everywhere overreact because they didn’t hear the name Carlos Carrasco or Andrew Carpenter, here is the rundown on Rodrigo Lopez.

 

Rodrigo Lopez: Who is he?

Before Rodrigo Lopez was in the Phillies organization trying to get his career back on track, he was a pretty decent MLB pitcher. He broke onto the scene in 2002, winning 15 games in his rookie season, and finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year vote to Eric Hinske. After 2002, Lopez played will the Baltimore Orioles and the Colorado Rockies until August of 2007, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. Since that point, Lopez has not played a game in the bigs.

In his 4+ years of major league experience, Lopez has a 65-65 record with a 4.80 E.R.A. After being out of baseball for all of 2008 recovering from surgery, he signed a minor league contract with the Phillies on March 5th, 2009.  This year at Lehigh Valley, where Lopez has spent the entire season, he is 5-4 with a 3.91 E.R.A in 13 games started. However, his recent pitching performances are the reason for the promotion, as he was 3-0 in his past 3 starts, with an E.R.A under 2.00.

While his velocity has steadily improved over the season, he isn’t a hard thrower, rarely topping 90 mph. Control is Lopez’s best friend, as he only has given up 13 walks in 13 games started. With a combination of a two-seem and four seem fastball, change-up, slider, and a curveball, Lopez has struck out 52 batters, in which his 4:1 strikeout/walk ratio is better than any starter on the Phillies staff.          

Why not Carlos Carrasco or Andrew Carpenter?

If Lopez has been pitching good in the past two weeks, than Andrew Carpenter and Carlos Carrasco have been pitching great.

For Carrasco, his case was simple. He is the organization’s #1 pitching prospect, he has won four out of his last five starts, and has done it in dominating fashion, with his 77 strikeouts ranking 2nd in the International League after his last start this past weekend. Most importantly, he has been featured in the Phillies farm system for the past four years as the “pitcher of the future.” Now, for the 22-year old, he must wonder, when will the future end up being the present.

For Carpenter, it may be a little difficult to justify why he wasn’t brought up. In May, Carpenter was on the good end of these decisions, getting promotion to make a spot-start for the Phillies against the Washington. He pitched DECENT, not great, but enough to get the win in the rain-shortened affair. After his first career major league win, the Phillies sent him back down to Lehigh Valley, which was expected, but surely still hard for the young 24 year-old to take. I guess you can say he handled it well, because all Carpenter has done in the past month since that is win, going 5-1 with just about a 2.00 E.R.A. Truth be told, Carpenter has probably been the most consistent pitcher this season for Lehigh Valley, which includes teammates Carlos Carrasco and Rodrigo Lopez.

What’s the Reason?

It’s a tough one to understand. It looks like this though. By the Phillies starting Lopez on Friday, that means he only will make two starts before the all-star break for the Phillies. If Carpenter or Carrasco would have got promoted, and pitched well in that time span, the Phillies would have had a lot of pressure on the decision to keep whoever was pitching up with the team, thus sealing the fate of the other prospect in this equasion, Antonio Bastardo. With Lopez, if he pitches bad, you can send him down without ruining the future of a potential prospect. If he pitches well, the Phillies can still send him back down without a big controversy if they are convinced that they want to keep Antonio Bastardo along as a starter, something you could not do with both Carlos Carrasco and Andrew Carpenter.

Lastly, the Lopez decision gives the Phillies flexibility, time to evaluate Bastardo, a veteran presence who won’t get spooked by a rivalry such as Phillies-Mets (something which I think made Lopez the decision over Carpenter), and possibly a trading chip to a team who needs a back of the rotation starter and is willing to give up a right-handed bat. So, all in all, while I do feel bad for Carlos Carrasco and Phillies fans who wanted to see his debut on Friday, for all intents and purposes, the Rodrigo Lopez promotion was probably the right choice.

I guess we’ll find out soon.                                  

To read more on the Rodrigo Lopez promotion, read “The Phillies Zone“, a Philadelphia Inquirer column.

PHILLIES: 5th Starter Update

Just read David Murphy’s “High Cheese” blog on philly.com.  As of late this afternoon (Tuesday), J.A Happ was penciled in as the starter for Thursday’s finale against the Atlanta Braves. The conception among some Phillies fans, like myself, was that Thursday was going to be Carlos Carrasco’s debut with the Phillies. Obviously, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen.  However, it doesn’t mean Carrasco is out of the running..yet (although it does mean that Kyle Kendrick is).

Happ starting Thursday means that the Phillies have the flexibility to start Jamie Moyer Friday night in the opener against the New York Mets, and wait till Saturday to bring someone up, or vice-versa. In the end, what this decision does, essentially, is it gives the Phillies one extra day to make an informed decision.

The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs have a game Tuesday night (Kendrick is pitching, and won’t be on enough days rest to pitch against the Mets), an off-day on Wednesday, while Carrasco is scheduled to start on Thursday against Syracuse, and Andrew Carpenter is due to start the following day. If either of them are pulled from their respective starts, than that will be the guy to replace Bastardo for the final starters’ spot. 

However, by moving Happ and Moyer up, that means the person who is brought up will only need to make two starts for the Phillies until the all-star break, which gives adequate time for Antonio Bastardo to recover.

With that said, this move leaves the door open for, in a my opinion, a veteran spot-starter,to  be promoted to the Phillies starting rotation. Since Kyle Kendrick is virtually out of the question, Rodrigo Lopez, the former 15-game winner with the Baltimore Orioles in 2002, will now enter the race with the odds-on favorites Carlos Carrasco and Andrew Carpenter to make the jump to the bigs. 

Stay Tuned…and while your at it..here is the link to rest of Murphy’s article on his blog “High Cheese”.