Game No. 56

The Phillies and Mets will get together for their third series of the year of the year this week. The Phillies are finishing a 10-game road trip at Shitty Field. They have won 5 of 7 on the trip to this point. They have blown two of the games, thanks to tough ninth innings by Brad Lidge. The Mets are coming off being swept by the Pirates last, before they took 2 of 3 in D.C. Raul Ibanez, Jimmy Rollins, and Chase Utley all lead their positions in the all-star voting. David Wright and Carlos Beltran lead the Mets.

The Pitching Matchup:

• Philadelphia: LHP J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.48 era) Happ has thrown well since entering the starting rotation full-time, 2 weeks ago. Happ is 0-1 with a 4.40 era in his career against the Mets. Happ made his major league debut against the Mets in 2007, struggling in that game. He has made 4 career appearances against the Mets.
  
• New York: LHP Johan Santana (7-3, 2.00 era) Santana has been the best pitcher in the National League this year. Earlier this year, Santana out-dueled Chan Ho Park, beating him 1-0. Santana has made 7 career starts against the Fightins, going 3-0 with a 2.44 era.

The Phillies Lineup will be posted when it becomes available.

Game time is 7:10pm. It can be heard locally on 1210 wpht, and seen on myphl17.

North Penn and Parkland Head To Altoona

After a week of rainouts and playoffs, the state final is finally set. North Penn advanced to Altoona with a 12-1 trouncing of WPIAL champion, North Allegheny. The Knights scored in 5 of the 7 innings, and we in control from the first pitch on. 

Parkland beat St. Joseph's Prep, 6-2. Parkland was on the brink of elimination a week ago winning in extra innings, but now they will find themselves 7 innings from a State Championship.

First-pitch is 7:00pm Friday night. I'll post a preview later in the week. 

Monday in the NL East

The Mets and Phillies are both off tonight, preparing for their three-game series at Citi Field.

The Marlins got 8 innings of two-hit baseball, to shutout the Giants, 4-0. The teams split the four game series. Brett Carroll led the Marlins, going 3-for-4 with a 3-run homer.

• The Marlins now host the Cardinals for three. In game one, both teams throw their aces. Chris Carpenter against Josh Johnson both get the call.

Sunday in the NL East

The Phillies got another good start from rookie Antonio Bastardo. Bastardo left in the 6th with the lead, and the Phils didn't look back from there. Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, and Ryan Howard all homered in the game. The Phils now get an off day before starting a three-game set with the Mets in Queens. 

• In the series opener, J.A. Happ (4-0, 2.48 era) faces Johan Santana (7-3, 2.00 era).

The Mets took the rubber-game of their 3 gamer with the Nats. The Mets scored 5 first inning runs, on their way to 7-0 win. Livan Hernandez got the win for the Mets.

The Braves rallied from behind to beat the Brewers. Tommy Hanson struggled in his debut, giving up six earned runs over six innings. Chipper Jones went 4-for-4 with 5 rbi's in the comeback. Nate McClouth's first hit as a Brave was a 2-run double in the 8th inning, to tie the game. He later scored on a Yunel Escobar single.

• The Braves now open up a four game series at home against the Pirates. Kenshin Kawakami faces Zach Duke in game one.

Tim Lincecum beat the Marlins Sunday in game three of four in the series. Lincecum went into the 8th inning giving up just 2 runs. 

• In the series ender, Randy Johnson faces Sean West.
• The Nationals host the Reds for three. In game one, Jordan Zimmermann faces Johnny Queto.

Game No. 55

Tonight, the Phillies look to get the split with the Dodgers. The Phillies are making their second appearance on Sunday Night Baseball of the year tonight. Brad Lidge blew his second save of the series, and sixth on the season. The Phillies offense hope to get back on track offensively as well. Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard have gone hitless for the series. Following tonight's game, the Phils are off Monday before going to Citi Field to take on the Mets.

The Pitching Matchup:

• Philadelphia: LHP Antonio Bastardo (1-0, 1.50 era) Bastardo was outstanding in his debut Tuesday night in San Diego. He threw 6 innings, allowing just an Adrian Gonzalez homer. Bastardo has never faced the Dodgers in his career.
• Los Angeles: LHP Randy Wolf (3-1, 3.21 era) The ex-Phil has made two career starts against the Phillies and is 1-0 with a 2.25 era. He pitched against the Phillies earlier this year, going six innings and allowing just a run.

The Phillies Lineup:

1. Shane Victorino, cf
2. Chase Utley, 2b
3. Jayson Werth, rf
4. Ryan Howard, 1b
5. Raul Ibanez, lf
6. Jimmy Rollins, ss
7. Pedro Feliz, 3b
8. Carlos Ruiz, c
9. Antonio Bastardo, p

The Phillies have just 3 extra men tonight. Matt Stairs is home for his daughters high school graduation. Coste, Dobbs, and Bruntlett are the only ones available tonight.

Tonight's game is at 8:05pm. It can be heard locally on 1210 wpht, and seen nationally on ESPN.

What To Do With One Brad Lidge..

I could post about a lot of things today. We could talk about how Brian Westbrook is going to miss training camp. We could talk about how much of a wreck the Sixers are. We could even try to stir up some rumors, like the Flyers going after Jay Bouwmeester. 

However, the biggest problem today seems to be with the one of the biggest sure things this city had a year ago. That's the closer in the bullpen. Brad Lidge has seemed to lost all confidence in himself. Last year, he was perfect. This year, not so much. Look, we all knew he wasn't going to have the same season he had last year but I wouldn't have ever guessed Lidge would have a 7+ era and six blown saves before the fourth of July. So, now the Phillies are sitting there thinking of what they can do with Lidge. Here are some of the answers the Phillies have.

• Shut down Lidge, let someone else get a chance: This one is what most fans probably think should be done but there are steep consequences for this. Ryan Madson would most likely be the guy to get those chances. However, what happens if Madson struggles. You now have lost your two best relievers at the mid-point of the season. On the flip side, what if Madson is great? Well, you have solved your closer spot but now you also have no place for Brad Lidge. In Houston when Lidge lost the closer role, the wheels came off and that was it for him as an Astro. The Phillies still have Lidge under contract the next two seasons, and losing him would be the worst. That's why I don't see this happening.
• Keep giving Lidge the ball: I'm not sure how I feel about this one either. I do think Lidge will get it back, and I really don't think shutting him down will help him at all. He needs to pitch through this and get confidence back that way. No one has ever gotten their swagger back with a trip to the DL. This team needs Lidge, and hopefully he will work through it. 
• My solution: Let me stress, there is no perfect answer with Lidge. Right now, I would pick my spots with Lidge. I know they are worried about overworking Madson, but yesterday would've been a good day to try and have him go a second inning. Lidge needs to find himself. To me the only way to do that is to keep trying. 

Hopefully Lidge gets things going soon. Tonight the Phillies look for a split with the Dodgers at 8:05pm.

Baseball Final Four Set

After a few days of rainy weather postponed two of the quarterfinal games, the final four is now set for Monday. North Penn defeated Council Rock North, 2-1 in what was a pitcher's duel. Parkland upset Wyoming Valley West, and St. Joe's Prep stunned West Chester East. North Allegheny advanced Thursday afternoon, beating Pine-Richland. So, now each of these four teams is a win away from Altoona. Let's take a look at the match-ups for Monday afternoon.

• District 12's St. Joseph's Prep vs. District 11's Parkland, 2pm at Spring-Ford HS in Royersford.

St. Joseph's Prep was the District 12 champion and beat Garnet Valley and West Chester East, each by a run. Parkland also was the District champion, and beat Pennridge in 8 innings Monday. They defeated Wyoming Valley West on Thursday, 7-1.

• District 7's North Allegheny vs. District 1's North Penn, 4pm in Scotland. 

North Allegheny beat Hollidaysburg in round one, and then beat Pine-Richland in a rematch of their WPIAL championship game, 3-2 in 9 innings. North Penn enters winners of 4 in a row, after being District 1's 5-seed. They beat Chambersburg and Council Rock North to get to the semi's. 

I'll take St. Joseph's Prep and North Penn to meet in the finals on Friday. We will see how it ends up.  I went 2-2 in the quarterfinal round. Once again, the championship is Friday at 7pm in Altoona.

Saturday in the NL East

Saturday afternoon, the Phillies saw Brad Lidge blow his second consecutive days in as many days. Lidge surrendered a 9th inning homer to Rafael Furcal, tying the game and sending it to extras. The Phils trailed into the 7th inning when Matt Stairs singled in two runs, to give the Phillies the lead. J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson each worked scoreless innings before giving way to once Lights Out Lidge. Chad Durbin took the loss for the Phils, who gave up a walk-off homer to Andre Ethier. It was Ethier's second walk-off in two days. The Phillies had just 6 hits in the game, two of which belonged to Pedro Feliz. The Phillies will try again Sunday night on ESPN.

• In the series finale, Antonio Bastardo(1-0, 1.50 era) faces former Phil, Randy Wolf(3-1, 3.21 era).

Phillies fans can at least take solace in knowing the division lead didn't move anywhere on Saturday. The Mets lost 7-1 in D.C. to the Nationals. John Maine gave up 7 runs over just 4 innings for the Mets. The Nationals solution to their brutal bullpen... Don't use it. John Lannan went all nine innings to get the win. He allowed just 4 hits. 

• In the series capper, the Mets send Livan Hernandez against Craig Stammen. 

For the second straight night, the Braves were shutout by the Brewers. Prince Fielder homered twice for the Brewers. Javier Vazquez took the loss for Atlanta.

• In the series finale, the Braves send highly touted rookie Tommy Hanson against Manny Parra. Hanson is making his major league debut.

The Marlins hung on to beat the Giants, 5-4. Hanley Ramirez went 2-for-4 for the Marlins. 

• The Marlins will recall Ricky Nolasco to face last year's Cy Young winner, Tim Lincecum. 

Lidge Blows Another

THAT Brad Lidge is obviously the real one. He fucking sucks. We should have won 9 in a row. Instead we have lost two in a row against a Dodgers team that is so fucking overrated. Brad has continued to blow saves. The only reason he still has his job is because he sells a lot of jerseys. I don't give a shit that he was perfect last year. It's typical Brad Lidge to be great one year, and BLOW the next. And boy, does he blow. I want Ryan Madson. Throw Lidge on the 15-Day DL because he needs a break to get his head straight. He has no confidence and can't help this team.

Game No. 54

This afternoon, the Phillies will look to get back on track as they face the Dodgers for the third game of a four game series. The Dodgers got off the mat last night, coming back to rally for two runs in the 9th to beat the Phils, 4-3. Pedro Feliz's error cleared the way for Andre Ethier to play hero, as he doubled in Casey Blake and James Loney. The loss gave the Dodgers the edge in the season series, 3-2. The teams close out their season series Sunday in LA.

The Pitching Matchup:

• Philadelphia: RHP Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.86 era) Blanton enters action Saturday having won his last three decisions. Blanton is 1-0 with a 3.32 era in three career starts vs. LA. Blanton's last start vs. the Dodgers came last October in the NLCS. Blanton allowed 3 runs over 5 innings in the infamous, "Matt Stairs game".
• Los Angeles: RHP Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 2.53 era) Kuroda has made just 2 starts this season due to missing two months with an injury. He has thrown just 10.2 innings on the year. Kuroda is 1-0 with a 1.38 era in his career against the Phillies.  In the NLCS, Kuroda threw 6 innings and allowed 2 earned runs in the Dodgers game 3 win. He infamously threw over Shane Victorino's head in the game.

The Phillies Probable Lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins, ss
2. Shane Victorino, cf
3. Chase Utley, 2b
4. Ryan Howard, 1b
5. Raul Ibanez, lf
6. Jayson Werth, rf
7. Pedro Feliz, 3b
8. Carlos Ruiz, c
9. Joe Blanton, p

This afternoon's game time is 4:10pm. The game can be heard on 1210 wpht, and viewed live nationally of Fox. 

Later.

Friday in the NL East

The Phillies saw their seven game win streak end Friday night, blowing a one run lead in the bottom of the ninth. The Phillies were one out from the win, when Casey Blake singled off of Brad Lidge. Lidge walked James Loney, and things got worse from there. Russell Martin hit a hard grounder to normally sure-handed third basemen Pedro Feliz, which bounced off of the heal of his glove and extending the game. The next pitch, Andre Ethier doubled down the right field line winning if for the Dodgers. The Phillies missed a boat load of chances, stranding 11 runners on the night, and were shut out after Dodgers' starter Eric Milton was lifted in the fifth inning. The Phillies also saw shortstop Jimmy Rollins again go 0-for-5, dropping his average to .219.

• The series continues with game three, Saturday at 4:10et. The Phillies will send Joe Blanton (4-3, 5.86 era) against Hiroki Kuroda (1-1, 2.53 era).

The Mets gained a game on the first-place Phillies tonight, defeating the Nationals, 3-1 in 10 innings. David Wright led the Mets, going 4-for-5 including a go ahead two-run double in the 10th. Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 15th save of the season, retiring the Nationals in order in the 10th.

• In game two of the series, the Mets send John Maine against John Lannan.

Yovani Gallardo threw 8 innings of 2-hit baseball, shutting out the Braves tonight 4-0. Jair Jurrjens allowed 4 runs in 7 innings for the Braves. Mat Gamel went 2-for-4 with a 3 rbi for the Brewers. Nate McClouth went 0-for-4 in his Braves debut.

• In game two, Javier Vazquez faces Jeff Suppan.

The Giants took down the Marlins 2-1 at LandShark Stadium. Barry Zito allowed a run over 5 innings, to get the W. Pablo Sandoval went 2-for-4, with a 2-run homer.

• In game two, Andrew Miller faces the Giants' Jonathan Sanchez.

After all that, the Phils still hold a 3 game lead in the division over the shorthanded Mets.

Game No. 53

Tonight the Phillies go for eight in a row as they battle the Dodgers in LA again tonight. Last night Cole Hamels threw a complete game shutout. He allowed just 5 hits in the game. The Phillies snuck out three runs for him, which was all the offense Cole needed. 

The Pitching Matchup:

• Philadelphia: LHP Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.75 era) Moyer is 3-5 with a 5.46 era in 11 career regular season starts against the Dodgers. The Dodgers tagged Moyer for 6 runs in and inning and a third last year in the postseason. Moyer won career win #250 in his last game, which was a 4-2 win Sunday vs. the Nationals.
• Los Angeles: LHP Eric Milton (2-0, 3.14 era) The ex-Phil has resurrected his career with LA this year. He has started three games this year for Dodgers, but hasn't gone past the 5 1/3 inning mark.

The Phillies Lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins, ss
2. Chase Utley, 2b
3. Jayson Werth, cf
4. Ryan Howard, 1b
5. Raul Ibanez, lf
6. Pedro Feliz, 3b
7. Eric Bruntlett, rf
8. Chris Coste, c
9. Jamie Moyer, p

Tonight's game starts at 10:10pm. It can be heard on 1210 wpht, and seen on CSN.

Later.

Jimmy Fallon is Chock Full of Phillies Goodness

Skip to 6:20 in.... great knock on the Mets

Hank Baskett's Offseason

Baskett was held on a strict training regimen in this.

Thursday in the NL East

The Phillies got a complete game shutout from lefty phenom, Cole Hamels. To describe just how good he was, he faced 29 batters, just two more than the minimum. Raul Ibanez stayed hot, with an rbi double and Ryan Howard had a sacrifice fly rbi. It's the Phils 7th straight win, and it evens the season series with LA 2-2. 

• In game two tomorrow night the Phillies send Jamie Moyer (4-5, 6.75 era) against former-Phil Eric Milton (2-0, 3.14 era).
  

The Mets were swept by the Pirates this afternoon in the rain shortened 3-game series. Mike Pelfrey allowed 9 runs in 3 2/3 innings for the Mets. Carlos Beltran homered and doubled in his first game back since his illness. The final was 11-6.

• The Mets head to Washington and will send Tim Redding against Shairon Martis in game one.

Atlanta was rained out in their series finale with the Cubs. No make-up has been announced. Nate McClouth was in tonight's lineup, and batting third, before the game was postponed.

• Atlanta welcomes Milwaukee for three games. The Braves will send Jair Jurrjens against Yovani Gallardo. 

Florida got a home run from pitcher Josh Johnson to beat the Brewers 4-3. Johnson didn't stop there, as he went 7 2/3 innings allowing just two Brewer runs. Florida took 3 of 4 from the first place Brewers. 

• Florida will now host the Giants for four games starting tomorrow as Chris Volstad will face Barry Zito.

The Nationals were swept in twinbill this afternoon and night by the Giants. Randy Johnson got win #300 in game one, winning 5-1. In game two the Giants won a rain-shortened 5 inning game 4-1.

• The Nationals host the Mets now this weekend. 

More tomorrow, kids.

Jesus Walks

Mets SS Reyes Out Through All-Star Break

The Mets injury issues continued tonight, as word has come out that shortstop Jose Reyes has a torn hamstring. The plan currently is for the loudmouth shortstop to be relevaluated in the next few days in New York. Matthew Cerrone of Metsblog.com, reported the news about an hour ago. Yesterday, Jerry Manuel said he felt Reyes would be in the lineup next week for when the Phillies visit Citi Field. In the interim the Mets will use Wilson Valdez and Alex Cora at SS. The news comes on the heals of J.J. Putz announcing he has been having elbow pain, and will also be re-evaluated. He has bone spurs in his elbow, and some believe he will opt to have surgery on the elbow. The Mets were swept out of Pittsburgh today, losing their third straight in what was a rain-shortened series. 

The Mets just got CF Carlos Beltran back today. Carlos Delgado, Ryan Church, Angel Pagan, and Oliver Perez are all currently out. 

Other news: The Phillies will not start Shane Victorino tonight, who left last night's game with a hip injury. He will be available to pinch hit. Jayson Werth will play CF, with Eric Bruntlett playing right. 

Brett Myers has successful hip surgery today in New York by Dr. Brian Kelly. Myers will begin rehabbing the hip Saturday. The early prognosis has it possible for Myers to return in mid-September.

Feel free to leave your get well wishes for Jose in our comments section.

Game No. 52

Tonight, the Phillies begin a four-game series with the Dodgers, at Chavez Ravine in Los Angeles. The Dodgers took 2 of 3 at CBP last month. The Phillies enter the series winners of six straight, and owners of baseball's best road record (19-6). Last night, J.A. Happ was again tremendous for the Phillies, throwing 7 shutout innings. Ryan Howard homered for the 16th time as well for the Phils. The Dodgers have the best record in baseball, despite missing suspended left fielder Manny Ramirez. They have won 4 of 7 and have a 9 1/2 game lead in the NL West entering play today. 

The Pitching Matchup:

• Philadelphia: LHP Cole Hamels (3-2, 5.21 era) Hamels threw 7 innings and allowed just one earned run against the Dodgers in a no decision earlier this season. Hamels pitched 14 innings vs. LAD in the NLCS last year, and only allowed 3 runs. For his career in the regular season against LAD, Hamels is 1-0 with 2.14 era in 3 starts.
• Los Angeles: LHP Clayton Kershaw (3-3, 4.34 era) The 21-year-old left hander is 0-2 with a 7.80 era in 3 career starts against the Phillies. Kershaw appeared in two games in last years NLCS, allowing a run over two innings pitched. 

The Phillies Lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins, ss
2. Chase Utley, 2b
3. Jayson Werth, cf
4. Ryan Howard, 1b
5. Raul Ibanez, lf
6. Pedro Feliz, 3b
7. Eric Bruntlett, rf
8. Carlos Ruiz, c
9. Cole Hamels, p

Tonight's game time is 10:10pm. It can be heard on 1210 wpht, and seen on CSN.

Thank you, Pirates

Flyers reach agreement with goalie Ray Emery

Numerous reports in the past 24 hours have stated the Flyers have reached an agreement to sign former Senators goalie Ray Emery. A deal can not be officially signed until free agency begins on July 1st.

Emery led the Senators to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007, but was eventually released from his contract the next season, mostly due to his temper. He then went on to play in Russia last year, where apparently he cleaned up his act.

I'm hoping the Flyers did their due diligence. This is the epitome of a high-risk, high-reward situation. The talent is definitely there as he was once considered one of the NHL's rising young stars, but he could also just as easily meltdown as he did in Ottawa.

Westbrook to have ankle surgery

Eagles RB Brian Westbrook is having surgery in order to clean out bone spurs in his ankle. When thinking of a bone spur, I originally thought that meant something sharp attached the bone that could possibly rip and tear soft tissue. After some research, however, I found that it is simply extra bone the body creates when repairing itself. It is usually smooth but can put extra pressure on soft tissue such as tendons and if a lot of running incurs, tears can happen.

I have taking the liberty of copying the typical bone spur removal surgery rehabilitation from a post on bleeding green.

Week 1

• Healing of surgical incision
• Gameready® unit to control pain and swelling
• Intermittent compression unit to decrease swelling (after incisions were fully healed)

During the five day non-weight bearing period, table exercises for the hip and knee were performed and included straight leg raises, terminal knee extensions, ball squeezes and glute extensions.

Weeks 2 to 4

• Weight bearing exercises
• Ankle strengthening exercises

• • Ankle tubing
  • Single leg balance
  • Toe curls & pick-ups
  • Heel & toe walking
  • Shuttle calf raises

Week 4: Return to activity

• Functional activity
  • Jump rope
  • Single leg bounding on the shuttle
  • Treadmill running
  • Position specific drills on the field

Overall, it's not out of the question Westy will be ready for training camp. Overall this will just give more valuable time to LeSean McCoy in the OTA's and could end up being a blessing in disguise.

Drabek Deals In Reading Debut

Phillies #5 prospect Kyle Drabek, took the next step last night. Drabek, who had thrown in Clearwater this year finally made his much anticipated debut in AA Reading. Pitching before Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr., Drabek was outstanding. The 21-year-old  right hander went 7 innings, giving up just three hits and shutting out the Akron offense. Drabek probably would've been here sooner, but Tommy John surgery shut him down much of last season.

Drabek's performance proves that the Phillies minor league system is alive and well again. This year the big club has gotten big time contributions from left handers J.A. Happ, and Antonio Bastardo. Bastardo wasn't even ranked in the top-10 in the Phillies prospect list entering the season. That hopefully is a sign of depth this team has to look forward to.

The Phillies have also done a great job finding mid-round picks and making them superstars in the farm system. Former 20th round pick, Dominic Brown is currently ranked as the #1 prospect and is hitting .320 in Lakewood. He also has 8 HR, and 38 rbi. Michael Taylor is another big time corner outfielder the Phils may look to either trade now, or be the teams next right fielder. Taylor is in Reading currently hitting near .340. He is the same height as John Mayberry, but weighs 20 lbs. more. 

In triple A, the Phillies have Mayberry, C Lou Marson, and SS/3b Jason Donald. Carlos Carrasco has pitched better of late. He is going to be a guy the team looks at strongly in 2010.

Later.

Love Jim Cramer...Skip to 20 minutes in

Wednesday in the NL East

The Phillies won their 6th straight, sweeping the Padres, 5-1. J.A. Happ was again tremendous, working 7 shutout innings and giving up just four hits. Ryan Howard homered in the first. J.C. Romero worked 1 1/3 innings, allowing a run, but did a nice job settling in after that. The Phillies now head to Los Angeles with a four-game set with the best team in baseball.

• In game one in LA, the Phils send Cole Hamels (3-2, 5.21 era) against Dodger LHP, Clayton Kershaw (3-3, 4.34 era).

The Mets were rained out in Pittsburgh. The game will be made up July 2nd in Pittsburgh.

• In the series finale the Mets send Mike Pelfrey against Jeff Karstens for the Pirates.

The Marlins lost to the Brewers Wednesday night, 9-6. Sean West was hit around 4 1/3 innings, giving up 5 runs. Ryan Braun went 2-for-5, hitting a 2 run home run. The teams close out their four-game set Thursday at 7:10pm.

• In the series finale, the Marlins send Josh Johnson against the Brewers' Dave Bush.

The Braves again rallied to tie the Cubs late before Micah Houffpauir put the Cubs ahead in the 11th, with a pinch hit single. Derek Lowe and Ted Lilly each had quality starts, but received no decisions.

• In the series finale, the Braves send Jair Jurrjens against Chicago's Carlos Zambrano.

The Nationals were also rained out against the Giants. Randy Johnson will go for win #300, as the teams will meet twice Thursday in a double header.

• In game one, Jordan Zimmermann will try to keep Randy Johnson from winning #300.
• In game two, Ross Detwiler faces Matt Cain.

Later.

Game No. 51

Tonight the Phillies welcome back LHP J.C. Romero, who has been reinstated following his 50-game suspension for a bunch of bullshit. The Phillies have taken the first two games of the series with the Padres, and look to sweep San Diego tonight. The Phillies lead the season series 3-2. Last night, Antonio Bastardo got his first career win, going 6 innings. Raul Ibanez had 2 home runs, and drove in 5 for the Phils. 

The Pitching Matchup:

• Philadelphia: J.A. Happ (3-0, 3.00 era) Happ's only appearance in his career against the Padres came this year in relief. He went 3 innings and didn't allow a run.
• San Diego: Chris Young (4-3, 4.45 era) Young is 2-1 with a 4.50 era in four career starts against the Phillies.

The Phillies Lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins, ss
2. Shane Victorino, cf
3. Chase Utley, 2b
4. Ryan Howard, 1b
5. Raul Ibanez, lf
6. Greg Dobbs, rf
7. Pedro Feliz, 3b
8. Chris Coste, c
9. J.A. Happ, p

Tonight's game begins at 10:05pm. It can be heard on 1210 wpht, and can be seen on CSN.

PIAA Playoffs Continue Thursday With Quarterfinals

The PIAA state baseball playoffs are down to eight teams and will continue Thursday afternoon across the state. Let's take a look at the match-ups and give some predictions on to who will advance to the final four on Monday.

• West Chester East vs. St. Joseph's Prep, 4pm at Glen Mills
• Parkland vs. Wyoming Valley West, 6pm at Pine Grove
• North Penn vs. Council Rock North, 3pm at Boyertown
• North Allegheny vs. Pine-Richland, 6pm at Robinson Twp.

Alright, my picks for the quarterfinals are: West Chester East, Wyoming Valley West, North Penn, and North Allegheny. As always, check back for the results later on tomorrow. The state championship is next Friday at 7pm in Altoona's Blair County Ballpark. 

Later.

Tuesday in the NL East

Johan Santana reacts to allowing a HR to the Pirates C Jason Jaramillo.

Last night the Phillies jumped on Jake Peavy for 4 runs in the first inning, knocking the Padres ace out of the game. Antonio Bastardo was tremendous in his debut going 6 innings and just surrendering a run on four hits. Raul Ibanez drove in 5 runs, homering twice on his birthday.

• In the final game of the series, the Phillies send J.A. Happ(3-0, 3.00 era) against the Padres' Chris Young(4-3, 4.45 era).

The Mets lost their second straight to the Pirates, as Zach Duke out-pitched Johan Santana. Duke went 7 innings, allowing just one run. The Pirates scored the go-ahead runs in the 6th inning on rbi doubles from Nate McClouth and Adam LaRoche. 

• The Mets send Mike Pelfrey to the hill to face the Pirates' Ross Ohlendorf in game 3 of the 4-game set.

The Marlins tagged Manny Parra for 10 runs in just 4 innings as they beat the Brewers again, 10-3. Dan Uggla homered for his 100th time in his career, making him the quickest second basemen to reach the milestone ever. 

• The Brewers' Braden Looper faces the Marlins' Sean West in game 3 of the four game series.

The Braves rallied back to beat the Cubs in 12 innings, 6-5. Chipper Jones broke up Randy Wells' bid at a no-hitter in the seventh inning, and then singled in Yunel Escobar to win the game in the twelfth. 

• Derek Lowe goes for the Braves in game 3, against Chicago's Ted Lilly.

The Nationals rallied for a 10-6 win to beat the Giants. The win ended a six-game losing streak the Nats were reppin'. The Nationals plated six runs in the home-half of the 8th inning to win the game. Josh Bard went 3-for-4 with a home run for the Nats.

• In game two, Randy Johnson goes for win #300 in his career against Nationals rookie, Jordan Zimmermann.

He's BAAAAAAAAACCCKKKKK

Welcome back, JC.

Bastardo, Ibanez shine on Raul's Birthday

It was Raul's 37th birthday and Antonio's career debut as both players carried the Phils to their 5th straight victory.

Raul blasted 2 HR's as he went 3-5 with 5 RBIs. Bastardo pitched 6 strong innings, allowing just one earned run. While it was the lowly Padres, it still is a great sign.

Bastardo's next start will give him the chance to show the league what he's made of (apparently, a 95 mph fastball), as it will be the Sunday Night Baseball game on ESPN against the potent Dodgers offense.

The Phils are now 30-20 and lead the NL East by 2.5 games

Game No. 50

The Phillies play the Padres in the middle game of their three game series at Petco Park in San Diego. The Phils evened the season series last night at two defeating the Padres, 5-3. Ryan Howard and Chase Utley each homered for the Phils. 

The Pitching Matchup:

• Philadelphia: LHP Antonio Bastardo (0-0, no era) Bastardo is making his major league debut tonight for the Phils. He was 3-2, with a 1.89 in 11 appearances this year he made with AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley.
• San Diego: RHP Jake Peavy (5-5, 3.67 era) Peavy is 2-2 with a 3.21 era lifetime against the Phillies.

The Phillies Lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins, ss
2. Shane Victorino, cf
3. Chase Utley, 2b
4. Ryan Howard, 1b
5. Raul Ibanez, lf
6. Jayson Werth, rf
7. Greg Dobbs, 3b
8. Carlos Ruiz, c
9. Antonio Bastardo, p

First pitch is scheduled for 10:05pm. The game can be seen on Comcast Sports Net, and heard on 1210 wpht.

Is This The Jimmy Of 2009?

Its been no secret that throughout the 2009 season Jimmy Rollins has had his fair share of ups and downs. He's hit just .230 this year out of the leadoff spot for the Phillies. After hitting .207 in April, Rollins came back in May a little bit hitting .238. His numbers are certainly down this year, and suffered last year after injuring his ankle at Shea Stadium in early April vs. the Mets. The question I have been mulling over is, are the Phillies okay leaving Rollins in the leadoff spot this year if all he is going to be is a .230 hitter with and on-base percentage below .275?

I'm not recommending the Phillies pull the plug on where Rollins is in the lineup because I still think Jimmy can turn things around. However, you have to start wondering how much of the season he had in 2007 we will see again. 

Jimmy's issues at the top of the order have sort of been masked the past few weeks since Shane Victorino has begun producing again in the two-hole, and getting the Phillies running game going again. Rollins is also too valuable to sit because of how well he plays defensively and how much this team values his leadership. But, there has to be a point where the Phillies worry Rollins is just going to be a .230 hitter this season. Hopefully Rollins can get things back in the near-future, and help lead the Phillies as we get later into the season. Rollins began June well last night, going 2-for-5 with a double for the WFC.

I'll have a preview of tonight's Phillies-Padres game up shortly. Later.

Shane Victorino is Calvin Borel

For those of you who don't know who Calvin Borel is, he is a jockey who is attempting to become the first one to win the Triple Crown on different horses (Rachel Alexandra, Mine that Bird). However, I recently discovered his true identity: Phillies' centerfielder Shane Victorino!

I deduced this after he guaranteed victory at the Belmont Stakes: "We're gonna win, no questions asked"- the Flyin' Hawaiian's catch phrase!

Can't you see the resemblance?

Monday in the NL East

The Phillies got another strong performance from Fat Joe Blanton, as they beat the Padres 5-3. He went 7 innings, allowing 3 runs. Ryan Howard and Chase Utley hit back-to-back home runs for the Phillies who now lead the division by a game and a half. Brad Lidge recorded his 4th save in four days.

• Antonio Bastardo makes his major league debut against Jake Peavy in game two of the series.

The Mets blew a 5-0 lead to the Pirates in Pittsburgh. J.J. Putz recorded his second blown save as he allowed 4 runs in the 8th inning before recording an out for the Mets. The Mets were unable to score from the 4th inning on, as they fell to 28-22 on the season.

• Johan Santana faces Zach Duke of the Pirates in game two.

The Marlins beat the NL Central leading Brewers by a score of 7-4. After Andrew Miller came out in the 5th, the Marlins bullpen threw 4 2/3 innings of shutout baseball. Hanley Remirez went 3-for-5 for the Fish, who improve to 24-28.

• Manny Parra faces Anibal Sanchez of the Marlins in game two.
• San Francisco sends Tim Lincecum against the Nationals' Craig Stammen.
• The Cubs will go with Randy Wells against Atlanta's Kenshin Kawakami.

Later.

Monday's PIAA Baseball Results

As I mentioned yesterday, today was the first round of the PIAA baseball playoffs. Sixteen teams entered today's play with the hopes of reaching next Friday's state championship game at Blair County Ballpark in Altoona. Now, on to the results:

• West Chester East defeated Warwick, 6-1.
• St. Joseph's Prep beat Garnet Valley, 4-3.
• Parkland beat Pennridge, 3-2, in 8 innings.
• Wyoming Valley West beat Central Dauphin, 5-4.
• North Penn beat Chambersburg, 6-0.
• Council Rock North beat Central, 6-2.
• North Allegheny knocked off Hollidaysburg, 9-0.
• Pine-Richland beat Allderice, 9-0.

I'll have the match-ups for the quarters up as they become available later this week. If your keeping score at home, I went 6-2 today in my picks for the tournament.

That's all for now.

The Natural is also now tweeting

Follow me on www.twitter.com/TheNaturalEHM

Yes, Lou Brown Has Done It

and is now "tweeting". Follow me on there at www.twitter.com/theLouBrown.

Lou.

My Sixers 5-Year Plan

Let's face it, the Sixers are hopeless. They can't shoot, can't win a playoff series, and can't sell tickets. They finish with a mediocre record every year, hurting their chances of drafting a stud. While I really like Ed Stefanski, I don't think this team is heading in the right direction under his guidance. Thus, I have taken it upon myself to usurp his GM power. Here are my plans for this team:

1. Cut or trade every player. Yes, everyone. This team has no identity whatsoever, and we absolutely need to simply start over. We don't have one player that we could build our future around. Igoudala is not a star who can lead a team. He has no jump-shot and is very inconsistent. This team has sunk far too much money into Igoudala, Brand, and Dalembert. I like Brand as player to build around, but he doesn’t fit into my rebuilding plan as he will be too old. Dalembert sucks. Willie Green sucks. Lou Williams is turning into a bust. I know a lot of people like Thaddeus, but he is the exact same player as Igoudala. The only player I want to keep is Reggie Evans because he is such a valuable defensive asset.

2. Fire every employee. The Sixers have no indentity whatsoever, and a lot of that falls on the people working behind-the-scenes. They are a major reason that the Sixers have 3 season-ticket holders. They need a complete makeover, and I think that includes the team’s employees. Too harsh? Too bad, this is my blog.

3. Sign a few scrubs and throw the next three seasons. The NBA is a league that highly rewards its biggest losers. The Sixers are never going to get quality draft picks if they finish 8th in the East every year. However, if we claim the worst record for the next three seasons, we’re guaranteed to get a top-5 pick each draft.

4. Build a young core via the Draft. Since I’m going to get rid of everyone, we’re going to need a lot draft picks. Hopefully I’ll be able to obtain a few extra picks after I deal Iggy, Thad, and Brand. Clearly, the draft is the best way to find players to build a future around.

5. Year 4, start playing for real. After 3 years of top-draft picks, we will have a strong enough core to start contending in the East. Making the playoffs would be a major goal this year.

6. Year 5, sign a major free-agent. After a few years of watching my young core develop, I should be able to identify our biggest needs. Considering our whole team will still be pretty young, I should have plenty of cap room to sign whoever I want. This guy will be the player that puts us over the top and makes us championship contenders for years to come.

See? Simple enough. Do it.

Preview of Monday in the NL East

Philadelphia at San Diego, 10:05 et

• Phillies: Joe Blanton (3-3, 6.14 era) 
• Padres: Kevin Correia (1-3, 5.11 era)

The Phils enter the coming off of a 4-2 home-stand. They swept the Nationals for the second time this year, and are starting to find some consistent starting pitching. Blanton is coming off of his best start of the year. Tuesday, Blanton went 7 innings allowing just 5 hits while blanking the Marlin offense. 

The Padres will counter with Kevin Correia who was touched up in his last start to the tune of 6 runs in 5.2 innings in a loss to the D'Backs. The Padres lost two of three to the Rockies over the weekend, and will look to get back on the right note after having won ten straight last week. Adrian Gonzalez leads the National League in homers with 20. 

The teams meet 3 times in San Diego before closing out the season series back at CBP with a make-up game later this season.

NY Mets at Pittsburgh, 7:05et

• Mets: Livan Hernandez (4-1, 4.28 era)
• Pirates: Ian Snell (1-6, 5.43 era)

The Mets will hope to get a bit more healthy than they've been the last few weeks. Jose Reyes is expected to be activated by Friday, and Carlos Beltran is expected to be back in the 3-hole Monday night. Hernandez is coming off of his best outing of the year, which was a complete game vs. the Nationals in which he held them to one run.

Snell struggled his last time out. He went 5 innings and allowed 6 runs vs. the Cubs last week.  The Pirates will look to right the ship from last week, as they lost 4 out of 5 entering Monday's play.

Milwaukee at Florida, 7:10et

• Brewers: Jeff Suppan (3-4, 5.23 era)
• Marlins: Andrew Miller (1-2, 4.55 era)

The Marlins lost 2 of 3 to the Mets over the weekend after taking 2 of 3 from the Fightins at CBP earlier this week. Hanley Ramirez has returned from his groin injury, and Jeremy Hermida has shown signs of a hitter the last few days.

The Brewers sit atop the NL Central with a 30-20 mark, a year after losing their top two starting pitchers. They enter the series having just swept the Reds at Miller Park. Ryan Braun heads the Brewer offense, hitting .316 with 9 homers and 32 rbi.

The Road to Altoona Begins Monday

Monday afternoon across the state, the PIAA begins its quest to find out who the best high school baseball team is. All 16 teams remaining in each of the four classification will be in action tomorrow. Let's take a look at the AAAA, and make some predictions.

• Warwick vs. West Chester East, 2pm at Spring-Ford
• St. Joe's Prep vs. Garnet Valley, 1pm at LaSalle University
• Parkland vs. Pennridge, 2:30pm at Coplay
• Wyoming Valley West vs. Central Dauphin, 4pm at Kings College
• Chambersburg vs. North Penn, 6:30pm at Hershey
• Council Rock North vs. Central, 4pm at Boyertown
• North Allegheny vs. Hollidaysburg, 4pm at Butler
• Allderice vs. Pine-Richland, 6pm at Washington

I have seen not many of these teams play but what the hell? I'll take the following teams to go on to play in round two later this week: WC East, St. Joe's Prep, Pennridge, Central Dauphin, North Penn, CR North, North Allegheny, and Pine-Richland.

The Bracket can be seen here.

Sunday in the NL East...

The Phillies swept the lowly Nationals 4 to 2 in front of a sold out crowd at CBP. Jamie Moyer finally picked up career win number 250, working 6 strong innings and allowing just a Josh Willingham Home-run. Chris Coste went 2-for-2 with a homer in the win. John Lannan picked up the loss for the last-place Nationals. 

Heading on the road this week, I think we will start to learn about the 09 version of the Phillies. Against teams not named the Nationals the Phillies are 18-18 on the year. 

The Mets took the rubber-match of their three-game set with the Marlins. New York used rbi doubles from Fernando Martinez, Omir Santos and Angle Pagan to provide the offense. John Maine pitched 6 shutout innings, while K-Rod picked up his 14th save as a Met. Chris Volstad took the loss for Florida which is now 12-27 since starting 11-1 in April.

Atlanta jumped all over Arizona to split their four-game set at Chase Field. The Braves jumped out to a 9-0 edge in the first 5 innings, and went on to win it 9-3. Kris Medlen went 6 innings allowing just one run on four hits for Atlanta. Chipper Jones went 3-for-4 a homer and 4 rbi.

Next up for the NL East:

Phillies play 3 in San Diego.

Mets play 4 in Pittsburgh.

Braves host the Cubs for 3.

Marlins hosts the Brewers for 4.

Nationals the Giants for 3.

Game No. 48

The Phillies and Nationals finish a 3-game set this afternoon. The Phillies have won the last 6 times the clubs have met. Overall for the season the Phillies are 9-2 against the Nationals in 2009. 

The Pitching Matchup:

• Phillies: Jamie Moyer (3-5, 7.42 era)--10-4, 3.03 era vs. Nats
  
• Nationals: John Lannan (2-4, 4.11 era)--0-4, 5.97 era vs. Phils

The Lineup:

1. Jimmy Rollins, ss
2. Shane Victorino, cf
3. Chase Utley, 2b
4. Ryan Howard, 1b
5. Raul Ibanez, lf
6. Jayson Werth, rf
7. Pedro Feliz, 3b
8. Chris Coste, c
9. Jamie Moyer, p

The game is available on 1210 wpht and can be seen on myphl17.

Later.

Romero Starts For I-Pigs Today

Phillies LHP J.C. Romero will pitch the first inning of today's Iron Pigs game against the Rochester Red Wings. Following the game, Romero will rejoin the Phillies, as his suspension will end Wednesday when the team is in San Diego. The Phillies will use Bastardo in place of Sergio Escalona's roster spot, but will still need to designate one more player for assignment. The two most likely of candidates is Scott Eyre and Jack Taschner. We will wait and see what Ruben and Cholly decide as the team embarks on another 10 game roady. 

Saturday in the NL East..

The Phillies got two mammoth blasts from Ryan Howard, as they took game two vs. the Nationals 9-6. Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, and Howard all had 2 hits as the Phillies retook the division lead over the folks from the north. Cole Hamels got the win, despite struggling and allowing 6 runs over the 6 innings he worked. Brad Lidge recorded his third save this week. In the series finale the Phillies send Jamie Moyer (3-5, 7.42 era) to the hill to face Nationals ace John Lannan (2-4, 4.11). 

The shorthanded Mets lost to the Marlins in game two of their series 7-3. Josh Johnson went 7 strong inning for the Marlins, scattering 5 hits and allowing just two runs. Jeremy Hermida went 3-5 with 4 runs to lead the Fish. In the rubber match this afternoon the Mets send John Maine against Chris Volstad.

Arizona defeated the Braves in 11 innings late Saturday night. Eric Byrnes singled in Mark Reynolds to win it, handing Jeff Bennett the loss. Doug Davis and Javier Vazquez were each spectacular. Both went 7 innings, but obviously earned no decisions. The D'Backs look to take 3 of 4 from the Braves Sunday afternoon when they send Max Scherzer against Kris Medlen. 

ITS BASTARDO!!!!

Welcome, Antonio.

Yesterday in the NL East..

The Phillies jumped out quickly on Nationals' starter Ross Detwiler, tagging the LHP for 10 hits and 5 runs over 4 innings. J.A. Happ again pitched well for the WFC, working into the sixth inning before giving way to Chad Durbin. The Phils had 16 hits. Each starter had at least one in the contest. The three game series concludes tonight, with staff ace Cole Hamels (2-2, 4.68 era) going up against Shairon Martis (5-0, 4.86 era) for the Nats.

The Mets snuck out a 2-1 win in 11 innings over the Marlins. Omir Santos singled in Gary Sheffield to give the Mets the victory. With the win, the Mets stay a 1/2 game in front of our WFC. Mike Pelfrey was strong, going 7 2/3 innings. He scattered 5 hits and allowed just one Marlin run. In game two, the Marlins send Josh Johnson against the Mets' Tim Redding.

Out west, Atlanta snapped a four-game skid, beating the D'Backs 10-6. Yunnel Escobar returned to the Atlanta lineup going 2-5, with 3 rbi and a HR. Jair Jurrjens picked up his 5th win of the season going 5 1/3 innings and allowing 5 earned. In game two the Braves send Javier Vazquez to the bump. The D'Backs will counter with Doug Davis.

Already dig the new format. It should be good. Later folks.

Call him up

Antonio Bastardo.

He has been lights out in the minors this year, posting a 1.82 ERA in nine AA starts and a 2.08 ERA in two AAA starts. His K/BB ratio is over 5/1. Opposing hitters are batting just .194 against him. He's a lefty. By the time the Phils reach the hole in their rotation, Bastardo will be on full rest. Call him up!!

Editors Note: Change of Plans

Dear 3 readers of this blog,

We have decided to change our focuses on what this blog will feature. We wanted to get back to the things that we know best, and that is Philadelphia sports. As a group, we think the amount of news we would have to cover would probably be the same, but we would be much more focused on a much more specific topic. We will still have national stories to give, just not as many. I think this is the best move we can make right now.

With that, the new name of this blog will be....Eric Hinske Missed. That miss gave us a championship and a ended the streak of zero championships in 25 seasons in this wonderful city.

We thank those who read this, and we look forward to moving into the so called, "New Era." 

Your friend,

Lou Brown

Sixers Hire Eddie Jordan...

Yawn. My thoughts later.

The Wait Is Over O's Fans

Tonight marks the debut of highly touted Orioles catching prospect, Matt Wieters. Wieters was the O's fifth pick in the 2007 draft, and is expected by all accounts to be the second coming of Joe Mauer. The Orioles have had success lately with prospects. Adam Jones is an all-star candidate at just 23 years of age, hitting near .360 this season. Nick Markakis is also young, hitting third in the O's 2009 batting order.

With all that going for them, the Orioles remain in a familiar position they have held for much of the past decade. That position the Orioles have held is the AL East's cellar. They currently are there again this year, but are just 6 games back of Boston. 

I think Wieters however will be a stud in the bigs. He's a big kid, with a big bat that I think will make a tremendous backstop for Orioles pitching for years to come. If they can get pitching to help surround this young crop of talent they have brought up, maybe things can change for them. Wieters in the minors this year is hitting above .300 in AAA, following up last years season where he hit about .350. 

 However, in the division they play in it takes ALOT of young talent to win the division. (see 2008 Tampa Rays) 

All in all, its an exciting night for Orioles fans. They haven't had this much to cheer about this late in the season since the Ripken years.

Clint Hurdle....Your Fired.

As our very own The Natural forecasted last week, Clint Hurdle's job was on the line. Well, today that plug has been pulled as the Rockies have fired Hurdle. 

In 2007, the Rockies made an incredible stretch run to make the playoffs after defeating the Padres in a one game playoff for the NL Wild Card. They took that birth into sweeping their way to the Fall Classic. They eliminated the Phillies in 3, the D'Backs in 4 and were than swept by the Red Sawks. 

In 2008 the Rockies were unable to recover from early season injuries and finished well behind the NL West winning Dodgers. This year was much of the same as the Rockies sit at 18-28 and in the basement of the NL West.

In seven plus season as Rockies skipper, Hurdle went 567-625. Bench coach Jim Tracy will take over the squad on an interim basis.

The Rockies begin a three game set tonight at home vs. the Padres.