PHILLIES: Living on a Prayer

If the Phillies do happen to make the playoffs in 2010 (a big IF at this point), they may want to think about sending a portion of their postseason check to Carlos Marmol and the rest of the Chicago Cubs, as their meltdown of all meltdowns on Saturday has the potential to spark the Philadelphia clubhouse like nothing else has been able to do over the first three months of the season.

Down 1-0 in the ninth (with another brilliant start by Cole Hamels ruined), and just three outs away from losing their third straight game at Wrigley Field to start off the second half of the season, the Phillies needed something rivaling a miracle when electric closer Carlos Marmol strolled to the mouth in an attempt to give the Cubs their third consecutive win.

Well, they got one.

In the form of Carlos Marmol himself.

The implosion of Cubs closer Carlos Marmol was a precursor to a comeback win for the Phillies

After sending down the Phillies in order just the previous day for his 17th save of the season, the enigmatic closer (Sound familiar Phillies fans?) this time around gave up two hits, walked five, and inherited all four runs (one on a wild pitch) that crossed the plate for the Philadelphia in a crazy ninth inning that ending up giving the Phillies a much needed three-run lead. For the Phils, it was the second time in the last week they would come back from a deficit going into the 9th, and like the previous game against the Reds last Saturday, the bullpen was able to secure the come from behind victory. To complete the role reversal, the Phillies closer notched his 7th save of the season with a relatively calm (by Lidge standards) scoreless bottom half of the inning which in the process ended Philadelphia’s losing streak at two.

Big win. Actually, let me rephrase. HUGE win. Could be a real season changer.  But it doesn’t disguise the obvious.  The Phillies continue to struggle to produce runs when their best pitchers are out on the mound, and their overall play out of the gates this second half has not be close to satisfactory. With all that said, the Phillies win combined with losses by both the Braves and Mets put Philadelphia in second place in the NL East for the first time in July, and also cut their deficit to Atlanta to 4.5 games in the standings.

At the end of the day, you will not be able to find a better possible outcome for a team that was clearly outplayed for 8 innings on the road in one of the more hostile environments for an away team in all of baseball.

Other Notes

: Good to see Placido Polanco back in the lineup. His RBI single to tie the game up in the ninth with the Phillies down to their final out was a tremendous piece of hitting. Him and his .318 BA have surely been missed over the past 2 1/2 weeks.

:  The Phillies are still struggling mightily in the run support category when either Roy Halladay or Cole Hamels are pitching.  Going into Saturday’s game, Philadelphia’s bats have only been able to produce just 57 runs in the last 20 combined games started by the two pitchers. That’s an average of 2.85 runs per game. To put this struggle into perspective, the Pittsburgh Pirates, who by virtually every statistic have the worst offense in all of baseball, still average 3.21 runs per game. Wow.

: Speaking of the Phillies somehow making the playoffs, I got in a semi-argument today about Ryan Howard’s MVP chances. The other person said that if the Phillies make the postseason, then Ryan Howard should be the MVP of the league. For someone who has been an advocate of Ryan Howard all-season long like myself when countless people have been complaining about his power numbers being down (Funny, I don’t hear many complaints now though), it was tough to side the other end of that argument. However, as a baseball fan, I just couldn’t agree with the statement. First of all, it depends who else makes the playoffs. If the Phillies make it to play in late October, then which other contending NL East team (Mets or Braves) would miss out on the postseason?

That alone will eliminate at least one candidate right there.

Second of all, for all those who don’t understand the translation of MVP, it means “Most Valuable Player”. With that said, I can’t state with any sort of confidence that Howard is the player in the NL who is most VALUABLE to his teams’ success. He should undoubtably be in the discussion, but at this point of the season, he may not even be in the top three. Cincinnati’s Joey Votto, San Diego’s Adrian Gonzalez, and New York’s David Wright, and St. Louis’s Albert Pujols have each put their respective teams on their back at points this season. While Howard may have slightly better stats then the four mentioned above (leads the NL in RBI’s), he hasn’t done that yet. Whether it has been because of  a “lack of power”, injuries to the rest of the lineup, or above average starting pitching, he simply hasn’t carried Phillies through stretches of games in the way we have been accustomed to seeing in years past.

Well, not yet at least..

PHILLIES: A Team of Ex-Phillies

If you readers have some free time on your hands, take a gander at this.

Nothing like some stats to show how crazy this season has been so far. Instead of seeing the regular names like Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, or Chase Utley on top of the charts, players such as Jose Bautista, Martin Prado, and Billy Butler are among the league leaders in some of the major offensive categories.

Crazy, right?

After taking a deeper look into these stats, since I had some rare time on my hands and all, it became a bit frustrating. As the current Phillies appear to be just breaking out of a seemingly endless slump, it seems that now more than ever, the names near the top of some of the lists are players who have been spotted in the home dugout in Philadelphia at some point in their career.

This poses an interesting question..

That is, if you put together a team of the best players who have been a part but are no longer affiliated with the Philadelphia organization in any way other than the history books, who would be on it, and how good would they be in comparison to the current (note that I said current) Phillies squad?

Take a look.

(All stats accurate as of June 19th, 2009)

STARTERS

C: Rod Barajas (.253 BA, 11 HR, 30 RBI’s for the New York Mets): After hitting .230 with 4 HR’s in split-time duty with the Phillies in 2007 (he was the opening day starter), Barajas was left of the 25-man roster at the beginning of the 2008 season in favor of Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz and was granted his release from the organization. After two season as a starter in Toronto, Barajas is now with the rival Mets, and is second on the team in HR’s with 11, one behind team leader David Wright.

 

Thome was "The Man" in Philadelphia during his two seasons with the Phillies

1B: Jim Thome (.250 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI’s for the Minnesota Twins): Thome, who hit 40+ HR’s in both his full seasons in Philadelphia, isn’t on this list because of his stats THIS year. In his time with the Phillies, the future hall-of-famer helped rejuvenate baseball in the City of Brotherly Love, in which fans of the sport like myself should be forever grateful for that. With 570 HR’s ( the last one being against the Phillies), 5 all-star appearances, and one Silver Slugger award, Thome is a virtual lock for the HOF, and will go in to Cooperstown as one of the most genuine personalities in the history of the game. While he has spent almost half of his career at DH, if it weren’t for the utter existance of one Ryan Howard, Thome would have most likely played a couple more year at first base for the Phillies, using the band-box that they call Citizens Bank Park and the short porch in RF as his personal target practice. I’m not complaining (Howard has done pretty well if I can remember correctly), but it’s still okay to wonder what could have been.

2B: Miguel Cairo (.263 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI’s for the Cincinnati Reds): Cairo is in this spot because everyone who has played a middle infield position with the Phillies over the last decade is either still with the team, in the minor leagues, is out of baseball all-together, or has the name Nick Punto (Minnesota Twins). Honestly, it’s a toss up between the two, but I will not put in my starting lineup because I still remember him spurning me for an autograph way back when. Karma.  Not a second-basemen by nature, Cairo has made a 14-year big league career out a utility man, second base being one of the position that he has played. I already made my anti-Punto case, so it was either Cairo or Eric Bruntlett here, and Cairo gets the nod because he is actually playing in the bigs and is hitting over the Mendoza line, two qualities that he has over Bruntlett.

SS: Jason Donald (.253 BA, 1 HR, 8 RBI’s for the Cleveland Indians): Again, not much depth with the middle infield, but Donald is an interesting case. If he was not part of the deal to acquire Cliff Lee last season, he most likely would have made his big league debut with the Phillies this season instead of with the Indians, in which two disabled list stints for Jimmy Rollins would have most likely brought up Donald to the forefront of the organizational depth chart. Donald, who was considered a top-5 prospect for three seasons with the Phillies and this year with the Indians, has performed reasonably well for a struggling team in relief of Asdrubal Cabrera, who was lost for the season in late May after a gruesome arm injury, and is looking like he could be in the big leagues for a long time.

3B: Scott Rolen (.296 BA, 14 HR, 45 RBI’s for the Cincinnati Reds): As the surprise of the year, the Reds, of all teams,  have been in and out of first place the entire season. While Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and the starting pitching may get most of the credit for it, the MVP of this team and maybe the entire NL at this point of the season is Rolen. With that said, he’s a no-brainer for this spot, as he was one of the only reasons that the struggling Phillies franchise stayed afloat from 1996 to when he was traded in 2002, as he averaged 27 HR and 98 RBI’s in six full seasons with the club, winning a ROY award, 3 Gold Gloves, and making one all-star game in the time span.

 

Love him or hate him, Bobby Abreu was an all-star for the Phillies

RF: Bobby Abreu (.272 BA, 7 HR, 34 RBI’s for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim): Bobby Abreu is the the typical enigmatic Philadelphia athlete. On one end, Abreu was one of the most consistent offensive threats for the Phillies in recent memory,  hitting 20+ HR for six straight seasons with Philadelphia, making two all-star games and winning a HR Derby to add to it. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Phillies fans always had a reason to boo Abreu when he was out on the field, as his superior arm strength was overshadowed by the fact that he rarely used his maximum effort to go after balls in the outfield. At this point, Abreu being 36 years old and all, you have to take into account that his skills are going to have to drop off at some point. However, with three straight 100+ RBI seasons with the Yankees and the Angels, he is still and above-average corner outfielder in the bigs.  Note that I refuse to associate J.D Drew with the Phillies (his back-hand slap to the face of the organization when he refused to sign with the club after he was drafted by Philadelphia in the first round in 1997 still makes him public enemy #1 in my book), so it’s not like there is much competition.

CF: Marlon Byrd (.320 BA, 9 HR, 34 RBI’s for the Chicago Cubs): Based on his career, some may view Byrd a surprise pick here, being that he has basically been a platoon player since his arrival to the big league scene in 2002. However, at 32 years of age, he may be in his prime. In his first full season as a starter with Texas in 2009, Byrd hit .283, and set a career high in HR’s and RBI’s. So far this season, after signing a 3-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, Byrd has been even better, as his .320 BA is the best on his team, and ranks third in the NL. And to think, Byrd was at times viewed in Philadelphia as just a defensive replacement.

LF:  Aaron Rowand (.220 BA, 6 HR, 23 RBI’s for the San Francisco Giants): Rowand may be having a down year for the Giants. Ok, a really down year. The fact of the matter is, Rowand makes this team because he beloved by the Phillies fans in his two seasons in Philadelphia, making an all-star game in 2007, and providing the signature defensive highlight in the eight-season history at Citizens Bank Park.

BENCH: OF Pat Burrell (.246 BA, 4 HR, 18 RBI’s with the Tampa Bay Rays/San Francisco Giants), 3B/2B Pedro Feliz (.220 BA, 2 HR, 22 RBI’s with the Houston Astros), 1B/3B Wes Helms (.272 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI’s with the Florida Marlins), OF Michael Bourn (.253 BA, 0 HR, 11 RBI’s, 21 SB with the Houston Astros), SS/2B Nick Punto (.255 BA, 1 HR, 18 RBI’s with the Minnesota Twins), C Ronny Paulino (.314 BA, 3 HR, 27 RBI’s for the Florida Marlins)

STARTING PITCHER

SP: Cliff Lee (5-3, 2.55 ERA for the Seattle Mariners): For a player who only spent three months with the organization, Cliff Lee made about as big of an impact  in Philadelphia as humanly possible. He was the teams ace for the stretch run in the 2009 regular season, and was even better when it truly mattered in the playoffs and the World Series. That alone makes him the sure-fire starter. The fact that he is the proud owner of a Cy Young award, and is arguably a top 8-10 pitcher in baseball at this point of season (2.55 ERA ranks fourth in the AL) is just a bonus.

REST OF ROTATION: Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01 ERA for the Chicago Cubs), Freddy Garcia (7-3, 4.94 ERA for the Chicago White Sox), Gio Gonzalez (6-5, 4.21 ERA for the Oakland Athletics),  Randy Wolf (5-6, 5.08 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers)

BULLPEN: Ryan Franklin (3-0, 2.40 ERA, 13 SV for the St. Louis Cardinals), Brett Myers (4-5, 3.34 ERA for the Houston Astros), Chan Ho Park (1-1, 5.30 ERA for the New York Yankees), Arthur Rhodes (2-1, 0.30 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds), Tyler Walker (1-0, 3.67 ERA for the Washington Nationals)

 

The Billy Wagner era in Philadelphia provided some great memories.

CLOSER: Billy Wagner (5-0, 1.27 ERA, 13 SV with the Atlanta Braves): Even though Wagner may have had an up and down tenure with the Phillies, both on the field and in the clubhouse, he will always be remembered for hitting 100 mph on the radar gun in the first night game at the new Citizens Bank Ballpark in 2004. I was personally one of the fans in the crowd who gave him a standing ovation during that game that seemed like an eternity. With that said, after having great years before Philadelphia with the Houston Astros, and bad years after Philadelphia with the New York Mets, “Billy the Kid”  has seemed to revive his career for at least one more season with the Braves, in which a bid to the 2010 All-Star game might be on the horizon for the 40-year old veteran closer.

THOSE WHO MISSED THE CUT: Matt Stairs, Russell Branyan, Gavin Floyd, Rodrigo Lopez, Kyle Lohse, Robinson Tejeda, Vicente Padilla, Jason Jaramillo, Jack Taschner, Lou Marson, Gustavo Chacin

So, that’s the team. Can they compete with the current Phils?

PHILLIES: Lidge Back to the D.L, J-Roll Returns?

Overshadowed by the Flyers making history in their series over the Boston Bruins, the Phillies have been playing some pretty good baseball over the time span that the Orange and Black became the third team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 series deficit.

With a 22-13 overall record, the Phillies are a season-best nine games over .500, and have a three game lead in the NL East over the surprising Washington Nationals. While the second team in that equation is a surprising to say the least, I can’t say the Phillies status as being at the top of the pact is. Since May 30th of last season, there have only been three days that the Phillies have not been at the top of the divisional standings during the regular season.

Talk about dominance.

However, not all is well when it comes to the team that is about to return to Citizens Bank Park on Monday for a seven-game homestand.

From Jimmy Rollins to J.A Happ, the Phillies have been decimated with injuries this season often to say the least. On Saturday though, the Phillies injury bug reached new heights, as the organization made the move to send there first player in the 2010 season to make a return stint to the DL. After being out of action for five days because of what the Phillies would call “elbow discomfort”,  much maligned closer Brad Lidge was placed on the 15-day DL retroactive to his last appearance on May 10th, his second trip to the disabled list in as many months.

A return to the DL has become a reality for "Lights Out" Lidge

Tough break for big Brad. Since his return from off-season elbow surgery at the end of April, Lidge was pretty effective in his four appearances this season, posting a 2.70 ERA and one save.  Most importantly though, with his increased velocity, he looked more like the Brad Lidge of 2008 than the Brad Lidge of 2009. While that was great to see, this disabled list stint will obviously stunt the confidence growth that Lidge was gaining in every single appearance, which is obviously not a good sign considering “confidence” is integral to the success of most closers in professional baseball. Just ask Byung-Hyun Kim (yes, I know, that is a name from the past).

With this newest obstacle to overcome, the Phillies are in the process of shuffling around the bullpen once again. Lidge will join fellow closer candidate Ryan Madson on the disabled list, leaving set-up man and former starter Jose Contreras as player most likely to finish out games for the Phillies. As Contreras will move into the closer role (has filled that role the last three games), Danys Baez will serve as the 8th inning man, and Chad Durbin will serve as the primary long reliever. To fill the roster spot left by Lidge, Phillies brought up Antonio Bastardo from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, who has actually has sub 2.00 ERA (1.69) in 13 appearances with Philadelphia this season. If Contreras fails, or Lidge ends up on the DL for more than 15 days, look for the Phillies to also to bring up Scott Mathieson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Mathieson, a former big leaguer who seems to have fully recovered from two Tommy John surgeries, is a perfect 5 for 5 in save opportunities (Pigs haven’t been in many situations for Mathieson to close out games lately) this season with a stunning 0.54 ERA.

While Mathieson may be big league ready, lets hope it doesn’t get far enough where he has to prove that just yet.

OTHER NOTES

: Jimmy Rollins may be back in a Phillies uniform before the conclusion of this coming homestand, which ends May 23rd. Huge boost to the offense clearly. However,  if Shane Victorino keeps on hitting like this out of the leadoff spot ( .318, 3 HR, 10 RBI’s in the last 10 games), could the Phillies possibly place Rollins somewhere else in the order when he comes back?

: Speaking of Shane Victorino, who would of thought that on May 16th, he would lead the Phillies in RBI’s and would be second on the team in HR’s? Crazy.

:  Looks like #1 Phillies prospect Dominic Brown is starting to come alive. 6 HR’s in 11 games. That’s going to generate some buzz, especially around July 31st (MLB Trade Deadline).

: Former Phillies fan favorite (for some) Pat Burrell was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.  How the mighty have fallen..

For a guy who averaged 30 HR’s for his last four seasons in Philadelphia, he’s really struggling at the plate (.202 BA with the Rays this year). . However, for a figure around league minimum,  I’d sign him to sit on the Phillies bench. Even though he wouldn’t do much for the team at the plate or in the field ( Pat the Bat if you remember was never known for his fielding), bringing him back to the City of Brotherly Love would for sure make a so-far tame season for the Phillies a little bit more exciting for a variety of reasons.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

UPDATED (Sunday 11:07 PM)

Looks like Jimmy Rollins has a new clean bill of health, or will shortly. The former MVP and Phillies starting SS is heading back to Philadelphia Sunday night after his rehab stint with Single-A Clearwater was deemed complete. While he may not be activated for the start of the 7-game homestand (Monday against the Pirates), it looks like J-Roll’s return to the club will be sooner rather than later. If Rollins is not activated right away, a likely possibility is him making one more rehab appearance in Lehigh Valley (their homestand starts Tuesday), and if that goes well, J-Roll’s return to Citizens Bank Park will be on Wednesday against the Chicago Cubs. If he is activated right away, I am assuming he will pick up right where he left off, playing SS and hitting leadoff when the Phillies take the field on Monday, even though Shane Victorino has been hitting at a torrid pace out of the leadoff spot lately (look at the stats above).

Call me crazy, but I would say there is a 50/50 shot right now J-Roll plays on Monday. I am no betting expert, but I just thought I’d throw it out there..

For more news on J-Roll, read David Murphy’s “High Cheese” blog.

PHILLIES: Tazing, Moyer’s Masterpiece, RIP Robin Roberts..

“DON’T TASE ME, BRO!”

In the 10-month history of the The Philly Phour, we’ve touched on a variety of topics and concept besides sports. Facial Hair, Bad Genetics, New Years Resolutions, Religion, this list goes on..

However, we now have another one to talk about.

Tazing.

Over the past week, there has been an absolute media firestorm over an incident at Citizens’ Bank Park on Monday that ended up with a 17 year-old kid being tasered by a ballpark cop in front of 45,000 fans after streaking (running, but with clothes on) across the field. As of 7:00 PM the night after, it was the top searched story on both Yahoo and Google, and was one of the top read stories of the day on both ESPN and CNNSI websites.

Well, I can’t say I saw this one coming. But when it comes to the city of Philadelphia, I guess anything is possible.

The real issue here is..WHAT IS THE BIG DEAL?

How can people take issue with a cop using proper force to restrain a fan that is crazy enough to run onto the field during a game? While it turns out that this 17 year old kid was virtually harmless, the cop has no way of knowing if the kid is drunk enough, stoned enough, or crazy enough to make do something more stupid than running on the field during a professional baseball game. Who knows, that kid could have had a bomb attached to his chest, and if that were the case, the cop would have been viewed as a hero for saving the lives of innocent fans, not have his job on the line like he does now. The point is, the cop had no way of knowing what the kid was capable of, which is why he had to treat that specific case as serious as any other, regardless of his age or demeanor.

Besides, what’s the difference between tasing someone, and tackling a kid to the ground and dragging him off the field by physically assaulting him in the process?

I think I’d personally rather get tazed.

AGE IS JUST A NUMBER

We all knew Jamie Moyer was old, but his age was put into perspective on Friday night. With his two-hit, complete game shutout against the Atlanta Braves, the 47-year old southpaw became the oldest pitcher in baseball to pitch a nine-inning scoreless game in major league baseball history.

How does he still do it?

What a job by Moyer. This masterpiece was put together the same guy who was sent to the bullpen for the playoff run last year and was battling for the last spot in the starting rotation this spring training. For me personally, my respect for Moyer runs deep because he is a homegrown Philadelphia product (Souderton High School Product), who has pitched in four decades without overpowering stuff and by mastering the art of pitching, something that players with incredible pitching tools (countless examples) still cannot not do. It’s crazy to think that his first CG shutout was in 1986 with the Chicago Cubs, two and half years before this Philly Phour writer was born, just shy of 24 years prior to his gem Friday night.

In the future, Moyer will make a tremendous big league pitching coach. Maybe even a big league manager. But for the time being, a guy who at his age should be relegated to a couch or at best bench or bullpen coach duty is now second on the team in wins (4), and has played a huge role in keeping the Phillies afloat without two regulars in the starting rotation (J.A Happ and Joe Blanton) for the better part of the last month.

And to think a groin injury almost forced the ageless wonder to retire at the end of last season..

Crazy.

RIP Robin Roberts

Sad to hear about the passing of one of the “Whiz Kids”. One of the most recognizable figures in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies. As much as I would like to write about this, being 21 years old, I don’t think I would do the legend justice but just analyzing some of his career statistics. I’m going to leave you with some words from Phillies Columnist Paul Hagen, who summed up the legacy of the 2nd winningest pitcher in Phillies history (behind Steve Carlton) perfectly in an article published a day after his death.

PHILLIES: Goin’ For the Sweep

After Cliff Lee’s brilliant performance (once again) Wednesday night, the Phillies will have an opportunity to sweep an opponent for the second time in three series with a win tonight against the Diamondbacks.

The Phillies, who swept the Chicago Cubs before taking 2 out of 3 games at Turner Field against the Atlanta Braves, have won the first two games of the Diamondbacks series in convincing fashion.

 

Phillies RF Jayson Werth has been the main contributor to the Phillies recent homerun surge

The convincing has been done by all, but mostly by the Phillies offense, who have gone back to doing what has been expected of them since the start of the season.

They’ve been hitting the longball.

Jayson Werth has led the way with three homeruns in the past two games, but Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Carlos Ruiz have also gone deep in the past two nights. While hitting homeruns is usually a likely determinate to success for all teams, in this series, four-baggers have proven to be especially useful for the Phillies. In Wednesday night’s 8-1 win against Diamondbacks ace Dan Haren, seven of the eight runs came via the long-ball, as the Phillies hit four homeruns off of the all-star, giving plenty of run support for the pitching staff.

Speaking of pitching, Cliff Lee showed once again why the Phillies pulled the trigger on the trade to bring him to Philadelphia instead of dealing for Roy Halladay. Lee’s complete game 3-hitter Wednesday night moved him to a perfect 4-0 record with the Phillies, and lowering his 1.12 E.R.A before this game to below a run a game after his night was done.

The Phillies, a team who has been quite inconsistent in the past two months, have now won seven of their last eight games, and are now 68-49 on the season, a season-high 19 games over .500.

If the Phillies finish off the three-game sweep of the Diamondbacks on Thursday night, they will join the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and the New York Yankees as the only teams in Major League Baseball that are 20 games over the .500 mark.

For all the Phillies injuries and struggles this season, that’s a pretty decent position to be in nearing the end of August.

PHILLIES: A Sweep at Wrigley

I don’t know what is the bigger story in the Philadelphia area.  The Phillies sweep of the Chicago Cubs or the pre-season opener of the Philadelphia Eagles?

Now, I love the start of football season as much as anybody, but at this point of time, the answer a no brainer.

After getting swept by the Florida Marlins this past weekend and opening up the NL East title race, the Phillies showed in their 3-game sweep of the Cubs why they are considered one of the most dangerous teams in Major League Baseball.

The Phillies looked awful against the Marlins. 

Really awful.

They couldn’t hit, they had no starting pitching, the bullpen struggled, and even the fielding was poor. Every indication after the series was saying that the Phillies were in line for an August swoon.

 

The home-field advantage of Wrigley Field couldn't even stop the Phillies in the 3-game sweep.

But for some reason, going on the road for 3-games at one of the best home field advantage sites in all of baseball, Wrigley Field, brought the best out of the 2008 World Series Champs. The Phillies, as they have done on the road all season long, came to life and played like one of the best teams in the NL.

The focal point of this resurgence was undoubtably that contributions that the bats made. That’s not to put down the performance of the pitching staff, they were great throughout the whole series. J.A Happ gutted through a performance where is stuff looked sub-par and kept the Phillies in the first game, Pedro Martinez had a solid 2009 debut, and Cliff Lee looked like the ace we’ve been accustomed to seeing in the two week since the Phillies acquired him.

However, it was the offense that finally reappeared after a two week hiatus, putting up 22 runs over the three games against the Cubs (7.3 runs a game).

That’s more like the Phillies that fans have grown to know and love.

With a combination of clutch hitting by unlikely sources (Ben Francisco), and dominate hitting by the usual suspects (Ryan Howard has 6 RBI’s in the series and Jimmy Rollins hit 2 HR’s), the Phillies showcased their potent lineup, using the Cubs inconsistent and inexperienced pitching (in the case of Jeff Samardzija) as mere examples to show the baseball world the difference between a good team and a great team.

The question is, will this just be a temporary display of success, or will the Phillies ride the confidence boost of a 3-game sweep at Wrigley towards separation from the pact to clinch another NL East title?

PHILLIES: Francisco Plays Hero

Out of all people to hit an eventual game-winning homerun for the Phillies in a crucial game versus the Chicago Cubs Tuesday night, I doubt that anyone would have guessed the source of the late-game heroics.

Ryan Howard?

Nope.

Jimmy Rollins?

Well, he hit a game-tying HR earlier in the game, but it wasn’t him.

Chase Utley? Raul Ibanez? Jayson Werth?

While all are good players, and 2009 all-stars for that matter, none were Tuesday’s star of the game. You have to go down the roster to the bench players, where you’ll find a player who is most likely between the portly Matt Stairs and the career-pinch hitter Greg Dobbs on the potential list.

So, Ben Francisco?

DING DING DING!!

 

After Tuesday's late-game heroics, Ben Francisco will be a fan favorite in Philadelphia

If you don’t know the name, you may not be alone. Ben Francisco has not been in a Phillies uniform for long. You might recognize him as the OTHER guy sent to the Phillies in the trade that brought Cliff Lee to Philadelphia. Even though Francisco’s name was looked over by almost ever single Philadelphia fan after they looked away once they saw the name Lee, his contributions have been felt in a big way.

Since sent to Philadelphia two weeks ago, Francisco has fulfilled the role that the Phillies organization had set for him when they pulled him into Charlie Manuel’s office that first day. His ability to play all three outfield positions and hit anywhere from 2nd to 7th in the lineup has given the Phillies the utility outfielder and the strong right-handed hitter off the bench that the organization had been looking for since the start of the 2009 season.

Case and point?

On Tuesday night, Francisco did what neither John Mayberry Jr. nor Eric Bruntlett have been able to do the entire season. He delivered.

While Francisco’s solo homerun in the top of the 12th inning barely cleared the ivy on the left field fence in Wrigley, he got enough Kevin Gregg’s hanging breaking ball to hit his second long-ball in a Phillies uniform. More important than the “HR” number in his personal statistics, Francisco’s solo shot was the eventual game winning-run that snapped the Phillies 3-game losing streak.

During last year’s historic World Series run for the Phillies, it’s undeniable that the contributions from the players who usually resided on the bench were major reasons why the Phillies were able to parade down Broad St. with some jewelry when all was said and done.

You want proof?

Remember Matt Stairs’s homerun of Jonathan Broxton that finished off a comeback of the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 4 of the 2008 NLCS?

Definitely.

Remember Geoff Jenkins’s leadoff double in the 7th inning when Game 5 of the 2008 World Series resumed after a 46-hour weather delay?

Probably.

Remember So Taguchi game-tying two-run double to cap off a six-run ninth against the New York Mets?

Eh, that’s questionable. I’m almost positive fellow Philly Phour writer Josh Getzoff does.

The point of this wasn’t just for a trip down memory lane. These three scenes from the Phillies 2008 perfect story just prove that bench players can play the role of hero as well.

Just like Ben Francisco did Tuesday night with his 12th inning game-winning HR against the Cubs.

PHILLIES: Cubs vs. Phillies Series Preview

I haven’t done a series preview in the seven week existence of this blog, but after getting swept by the Florida Marlins this past weekend, superstition is telling me this could be good luck.

So, this is it. Cubs vs. Phillies. Huge three-game series. 

Here it is.

Philadelphia Phillies (61-48) vs. Chicago Cubs (58-52)

Probables:                                                                                                                              

Tuesday: J.A Happ (8-2, 2.74 E.R.A) vs. Rich Harden (7-7, 4.41 E.R.A)                                               Wednesday: Pedro Martinez (No Record) vs. Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 6.29 E.R.A)                                       Thursday: Cliff Lee (9-9, 2.95 E.R.A) vs. Ryan Dempster (6-5, 4.04 E.R.A) 

 

What to Expect From the Cubs:

 

Alphonso Soriano will be chomping at the bit to break out of a season-long slump

As the Phillies may have too MUCH starting pitching, the Cubs may have too LITTLE. That is most certainly due to the injury bug, as 2009 All-star Ted Lilly and staff ace Carlos Zambrano have landed on the disabled list for various injuries over the last two weeks and are unavailable for this series. However, with Harden going in game 1 and Dempster going in game 3, the Phillies will face two pitcher who have both been all-stars at certain points in their respective careers.

Offensively, injuries have defined the season for the Cubs. At this point of the season, all major contributors to the Chicago Cubs lineup are healthy besides Aramis Ramirez (may be placed on the D.L in the next 24 hours), who ironically was the one player who really killed Phillies pitching in a series between the two teams in late July. While mostly healthy, the Cubs have struggled at the plate, due to the season-long struggles of the usually consistent Alphonso Soriano and the 2008 NL Rookie of the Year Geovanny Soto. However, with those players still reside in the lineup, along with Derek Lee, Kouske Fukudome and company, if the Phillies pitchers decide to make a mistake in the form of a pitch down the middle of the plate, the Cubs hitters will surely take advantage of that.

 

Cubs Player to Watch:

This one has to be the person who is starting Game 2 of this series. The former Notre Dame All-American wide receiver decided to go the baseball route after the conclusion of his junior season. Samardzija, who has been a reliever for his year and change in the big leagues, will get his first start of his entire career on Wednesday against the Phillies.

Just a quick flashback for fans, the last time the Phillies saw Samardzija, he was walking off the mound with his head down after giving up a walk-off 3-run homerun to Jason Werth on July 25th.

Hopefuly that’s a sign of things to come.

 

What to Expect From the Phillies:

I would say a good series because of somewhat favorable pitching matchups, but now I’m not sure. Where has the offense gone? After scoring seven runs in J.A Happ’s complete game shutout against the Colorado Rockies, the Phillies have only average 3 runs a game in the four games since then. 

That’s not nearly enough. 

This Phillies have seen Rich Harden this year, struggling against him, as he went 7 innings on July 25th against Philadelphia, giving up just one run and striking out six. However in the final two games, the Phillies will facing a kid who will be starter for the first time in his career, and a player in Dempster that has inconsistent all season long because of nagging injuries.

Two out of three wouldn’t be bad.

 

Phillies Player to Watch:

This one is a no-brainer. During the second game of the series, one Phillies player who will be making his 2009 season debut.

That player will be Pedro Martinez.

After being signed on July 15th, Martinez will pitch in the big leagues after two rehab appearances in the minors, and a countless number of bullpen sessions. From what they have seen in the past four weeks, The Phillies believe that Martinez is ready to contribute at the big league level and help the Phillies towards a potential playoff push.

Only time will tell if that will be the case.

 

Pedro's debut is set for Wednesday night

PHILLIES: 2009 “Ultimate Standings”

ESPN SportsNation recently released its annual “Ultimate Standings” to the public. These rankings combine every team in the four major American professional sports to determine the most successful franchises in the eye of professionals and the public. The teams with the highest mean in overall rankings of the following categories determine where they fall in relation to other teams:

Bang For The Buck (BNG): Wins during the past three years (regular season plus postseason) per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules.

Fan Relations (FRL): Openness and consideration toward fans by players, coaches and management.

Ownership (OWN): Honesty and loyalty to core players and local community.

Affordability (AFF): Price of tickets, parking and concessions.

Stadium Experience (STX): Quality of arena and game-day promotions as well as friendliness of environment.

Players (PLA): Effort on the field and likability off it.

Coaching (CCH): Strength of on-field leadership.

Title Track (TTR): Championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans.

Overall, I believe that Philadelphia sports as a whole got slighted a bit. For a passionate city like Philadelphia to not have one team in the top 20 is an absolute travesty. The Phillies though, at 24th overall, are the highest ranked Philadelphia team. While 24th ranks them higher than 80% of professional teams, after seeing the Tampa Bay Rays  ranked above Phillies, I feel compelled to explain the case for the 2008 World Series Champs. With that said, I’ll go through each of the Phillies’ rankings according to ESPN’s, and explain if they deserve a better, worse, or equal grade in each category, with the symbols listed above.

BNG: 69

Wow! This is the worst of the Phillies’ rankings. Hard to believe this because in the past three years, the Phillies have won 2 NL East Titles, both in comeback fashion in the last month of the regular season. Seven games in seventeen days sound familiar? Also, most of the events that led to the Phillies’ storied 2008 World Series run happened in front of the home crown. The Phillies clinched their most recent NL East crown on a 6-4-3 DP in a one-run game against the Washington Nationals, won every single playoff game, and lastly won all three World Series games, including the clincher, all at home. Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park may not give you the same experience per ticket as a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field or a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park, but it surely is better than half the teams in professional sports. A higher ranking is needed.

FRL: 22

It’s hard to argue for the Phillies to be ranked higher in this category, as the harsh reputation of Philadelphia fans have been well documented (throwing snow balls at Santa, batteries at J.D Drew are some well-known instances). Reasons for the high ranking are pretty obvious though. When opposing teams come into Citizens Bank Park, they see a packed house night in and night out, as the Phillies are ranked second in the MLB for home attendance in 2009. The fans, who boo loud when things go wrong, but cheer louder when they go right, are as dedicated as they come. A sea of red, white and grey Phillies shirts consistently fill the Bank’ game after game, and MOST of the fans know what they are talking about. Speaking of the fans at these games, they are greeted by the likes of Ryan Howard, Shane Victorino, and Cole Hamels, as they are the usuals who sign autographs an hour before game time, and usually have an extra incentive, like “Dollar Dog Night” six times a season, to come to the park. Solid number right here.

OWN: 32

A pretty neutral opinion when it comes to this ranking. The core of the 2008 World Series team is signed long-term, as Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard are all signed with the Phillies for at least three more years. The best apart about this is all four players mentioned above are home grown, in which they have all been brought up through the Phillies farm system, which is a testament to the scouting within the organization. A GM change at the end of the 2008 season may have sent this ranking down a bit, but Ruben Amaro has proved early that he can run a baseball team, as his first signing, Raul Ibanez, has proven to be the best 2009 free agent acquisition in baseball.  Overall, this is a decent ranking, with room to grow if Raul Ibanez can pan out for an entire season, and Ruben Amaro Jr. can bring up his minor league prospects properly. 

AFF: 27

In comparison to the rest of baseball, the Phillies are on top on their game when it comes to affordability. So what if the ticket prices aren’t the cheapest? The reason you can get into a Pittsburgh Pirates game for $5 is because they haven’t made it to the playoffs in over a decade and it’s the only way they can sell tickets. The Phillies a winning team, a tremendous following, and still offer deals which can give you lower-level seats for under 30 dollars in a ballpark that doesn’t have a bad seat in the house. It’s about quality of the experience, not the quantity of nice, cheap seats, that are empty at most ballparks because the teams that have those seats usually aren’t winning. It doesn’t seem that ESPN recognizes this, which they shows in the rankings (the Cincinnati Reds and the Arizona Diamondbacks rank higher than the Phillies).

 

STX: 10

A Philadelphia delicacy offered at the ballpark

A top-10 ranking, not bad. It’s well deserved though. Unlike most cities, Philadelphia has a unique food culture that is represented at the ballpark. Some of the highlights are a $8.50 cheesesteak from Tony Luke’s, crab fries from Chickie and Pete’s, and soft pretzel/water ice vendors at every corner. For traditional food, Bull’s BBQ and Harry The K’s give you good quality and decent quantity for a cheap price. You put all that together with a ballpark that is five years old, a fan base that is enthusiastic about their team and city, and the best mascot in all of sport linking the fans and the players together, the ranking is justified.  

PLA: 10

Another top-10 ranking. Again, it’s well deserved. After winning the World Series in 2008, every single player on that Phillies team could run for the next mayoral election and probably win. That’s how much respect the fans have for those players who ended a 25 year title drought for the city of Philadelphia. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels probably have their own keys to the city, for the way they play on the field (perennial all-stars), and the way the promote themselves off the field (involved in many charities). It’s to the point that Chase Utley can even curse on national television during the World Series parade in front of millions of people, and he is still loved.

CCH: 36

Good ole' southern boy Charlie Manuel is an underrated skipper, even with a 2008 World Series ring

Charlie Manuel just got robbed of his World Series ring by this ranking. While he may not be an English major, the guy can flat-out manage. With Pat Burrell, Jimmy Rollins, and J.C Romero, the 2008 Phillies had their fair share of guys who thought very highly of themselves and the way they play the game of baseball. But, Manuel, who is known in baseball circles as a players manager, does far more than just nurture big egos. The former big league catcher has years of major league baseball experience, and has lead the Phillies to five straight years to a record over .500, something current Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona, who is ranked 21 spots ahead of Manuel on this list, couldn’t come close to doing.

TTR: 6

The highest ranking for the Phillies right here. That’s what happens when you win a World Series title for a city desperately seeking there first professional sports championship in 25 years. I am a little confused why the St. Louis Cardinals are the only team in baseball ranked ahead of the Phillies, as they have the same amount of titles (one) that the Phillies have in the past 20 years. I guess they deserve some of that high ranking due to the fact that they have a guy by the name of Albert Pujols, the best player in baseball not on steroids, locked up for the next decade. Besides the Cardinals (and the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes) unnecessarily high ranking, you can’t complain where the Phillies stand in this aspect of the standings.

 

Overall, the Phillies are the top-ranked Philadelphia team in these “Ultimate Standings”, so I can’t complain all that much. I just don’t see how the Tampa Bay Rays, having one good year after ten bad ones, barely putting fans in the stands in that minor league stadium they call Tropicana Field, can be ranked above the Phillies? It doesn’t make any sense to me. Oh well, I explained my case.

I guess if the Phillies can repeat as champions, or come close to it, maybe they can pass the team who they beat in the 2008 World Series in next years rankings.

PHILLIES: Q&A With Assistant GM Benny Looper

Sitting in the home dugout early Monday night at Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Phillies Assistant GM of Player Personnel Benny Looper did a press conference with about 6 reporters, and two television networks. Dave Montogomery, Ruben Amaro, and Chuck Lamar are the names fans normally hear in regards to the front office, but Looper plays an extremely important role in the organization. Here are some of the important soundbites regarding the Phillies from a interview that lasted a little over 18 minutes.

 

It seems like Michael Taylor has proven all that he needs to in Reading, is there serious talk about moving him along at some point?                                       

 Looper:  ”An important decision for us to make with players like Michael (Taylor), Freddy (Galvis), and Dominic (Brown) is what’s the best place for them, especially at the middle of the season. It’s not just about Michael Taylor here, it’s about all our prospects as a whole.”

 

Does it look like John Mayberry Jr. is going to be up with the Phillies for good?    

                                                                                                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looper:  ”A couple of things go into that. Do we aquire anybody? Does Raul Ibanez come back the way he is supposed to? So, right now, I can’t really answer that. He’s played really good defense, and he’s hit a couple homeruns for us. Didn’t really play particularly good in the series against Toronto, but I watched Sunday’s game, and while he went hitless, he had one or two at-bats where he hit the ball hard. That, and he’s playing good defense in the outfield, and that’s good to see.”

 

Have you heard anything about the progression of Jason Donald?                        

Looper: “He’s progressing very well. It’ll still be a couple weeks, but we have three kids down in Florida, Freddie (Galvis), Dominic (Brown), and Jason (Donald), and they are all progressing well.”

 

Is there any chance Raul Ibanez comes up to here (Lehigh Valley) for a rehab assignment?

       

Looper: ” He’s been out long enough that he’s going to need some at-bats to get back into things. He will go somewhere to get those at-bats, but it depends on which team is playing against someone who has the DH in effect, so I can’t tell you where that will be, but he will be going somewhere.”

 

What’s the status on Brett Myers and his rehab?                                                              

Looper: “He’s progressing (pause). He’s in Jacksonville right now with a rehab guy down there. It’s still too early to tell on his status for later in the season.”

 

What is the timetable for Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey to come off the D.L.?    

Looper: ” Scott (Eyre) has been working really hard. He’s been down there at are complex in Florida rehabbing, getting fairly close. With Clay (Condrey) though, it’s going to be a little longer.”

 

Looper was surprisingly forthcoming with the media, as he answered most of the questions to the best of his knowledge. With that said, the one subject that he did avoid was the Carlos Carrasco vs. the rest debate on who will replace Antonio Bastardo’s spot in the rotation. ” While his answer was along the lines of ” You are just going to have to wait and see,”  he raved about Carrasco for a solid minute, while complementing Andrew Carpenter and Rodrigo Lopez for their impressive pitching over the past month. I think the organization still hasn’t made a decision yet, other than a starter will be promoted for Thursday’s game against Atlanta.

In regards to Ibanez, it seemed that Looper was hinting that he will be out longer than his 15-day DL stint, as he is at the 11 days  now and has not had one rehab stint. With that said, it appears that Ibanez will get a chance, to at least hit, sometime very soon, my guess in the next 2 or 3 days.

Donald’s progress coming from Benny’s mouth is surprisingly important. Looper statement about Mayberry hinted that the Phillies are still looking to make a deal for a right-handed hitter off the bench, most likely a veteran outfielder. For that to happen, and to have a possible bargaining chip to inquire about a starting pitcher, Donald is the guy in the Phillies organization that could be dangled to teams, and eventually, could be a huge piece of the trade.  He’s the Phillies top middle-infield prospect, that sadly has minimal use in Philadelphia because of guys such as Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins (Yes, Jimmy Rollins), who are going to be turning double-plays together at Citizens Bank Park together for a long, long time. However for Donald, who is the Phillies 4th ranked prospect overall, will have some worth to teams who are potential playoff contenders like the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, and the St. Louis Cardinals, who all have something in common. They all need added depth in the infield, or in some cases, a starter.  Donald could be that guy, especially if he shows that he’s healthy around the time of the MLB all-star break, which is 2 1/2 weeks before the July 31st trade deadline.