Phillies 2, Astros 1

Sunday, April 11th

All killer, no filler

Roy Halladay carved up the Astros, earning career win No. 150 and complete game No. 50 on getaway day in Houston.

Halladay scattered seven hits, struck out eight, walked none and allowed one unearned run. He was masterful.

On a day when the bats weren’t clicking — Roy Oswalt pitched very well in defeat — Halladay did what all good aces are paid to do.  Halladay got into trouble in the sixth inning, loading the bases with no outs, but forced Cory Sullivan to ground into a rally-killing double play before getting Carlos Lee to pop up to Jimmy Rollins.

Rollins hit his 34th career leadoff homer and Carlos Ruiz knocked in Raul Ibanez with a fielder’s choice in the second inning to make it 2-0.

The Phils produced only six hits, the first time this season they failed to reach 10 or more knocks.

In two games, Halladay is 2-0 with a 0.56 ERA. Stunning.

The Phils’ 5-1 record is their best start since 1993 (8-1).

Phillies 9, Astros 6

Saturday, April 10th

The Phils are smokin’ right now.

Even Jamie Moyer blowing a 4-0 lead couldn’t hold back the offense, which for the fifth time in as many games this season, churned out 10-plus hits. The last time the Phillies did that to start a season was 1926.

Ryan Howard’s mammoth two-run bomb to left field put the Phils, 6-5, a few innings after the Astros scored five runs with two outs off Jamie Moyer in the bottom of the fourth.

Shane Victorino’s hit a two-run homer for insurance in the ninth.

Look at what this lineup’s first five batters are doing (yes, I know it’s early). It’s off the charts: Jimmy Rollins (.386), Placido Polanco (.542), Chase Utley (.368), Ryan Howard (.417) and Jayson Werth (.400) .

Howard has three homers and 10 RBIs in five games. Polanco isn’t the vacuum bag at third base like Pedro Feliz was, but he’s be a godsend with the bat.

Today, Roy Halladay takes the hill as the Phillies try to sweep Houston before their home opener Monday versus the Nationals.

Phillies vs. Houston

7:05 PM at Citizens Bank Park

Cole Hamels' (10-9, 4.11 ERA) wife, Heidi, because sometimes pictures of Cole get boring.

The Phillies could have been celebrating a division championship a couple days ago if it weren’t for the Astros. It was only a few weeks ago when the Phils got swept, beaten, mopped, mobbed, shelled, (insert your own here) in a four game series in Houston.

Cole Hamels will look to further defend his case for game one NLDS starter tonight against the ‘stros. Although he’s pitched “well,” Cliff Lee is doing a great job gift wrapping the spot for him. Cole looked just ok in his last start in Florida, giving up four in a game they eventually lost.

There’s not many better opposing pitchers to face when trying to close the magic number than Yorman Bazardo (0-2, 9.55 ERA, and looking so fresh in his profile picture). Apparently he played for the Phillies at some point, so feel free to clue me in on that one. Bazardo has slowly been lowering his ERA from his debut 27.00, making his third start tonight after a series of relief (The …Brad Lidge in the ninth… kind of relief). In his two starts he’s thrown 8.2 innings giving up 13 hits and 10 runs.

This is a game the Phillies should absolutely cruise through. Lately they’ve been looking much more like pretenders than contenders, but hey, the underdog role worked pretty well for us last year right?

Fun Phact – Cole first met Heidi when he asked for her autograph at a charity event.

Monday, September 7th

Astros 4, Phillies 3

So is this what rock bottom is like?

They’ve been down this road before. They’ve had stretches this season where the offense has been nonexistent,  but now is right time to waive the red flag.

The Phillies suffered their fourth straight loss to the Astros on Monday.

Please, no more excuses and no more free passes. No more, “It’s OK, we’re the world champions!” bull, either. The team’s lack of excution at the plate is a huge, huge concern…

Ryan Howard came through with a two-run RBI single in the first inning. Howard and Raul Ibanez homered back-to-back later to put the Phils ahead 3-2, but in terms of production at the dish, that was about it…

Once again, the Phillies squandered opportunities (plural!) to knock in a runner on third base with less than two outs.

The Astros took the lead for good with a two-run seventh inning. Chan Ho Park just didn’t have it…

Jamie Moyer started in place of J.A. Happ, who was scratched due to a mild oblique strain, and pitched six solid innings of two-run ball.

The Phillies, arguably the most prolific offensive team in the NL all season, have scored no more than three runs in eight of nine games…

The Nationals are next. That series looks like a slump buster, but nothing is certain anymore…

Frankly, this team needs a kick in the ass…

Phillies vs. Astros

2:05 p.m. EST at Minute Maid Park

The Phillies look to salvage a victory in the finale of a four-game series.

J.A. Happ was scheduled to start, but was scratched due to a mild muscle strain. Jamie Moyer will take his place on the mound.

Happ, who is 10-4 with a 2.77 ERA, suffered the injury during batting practice Saturday.

Moyer (12-9, 5.07 ERA) has been pitching out of the bullpen the last several weeks. Moyer has been stellar in relief, winning two games. He allowed a run in three innings of work on Friday against the Astros.

Brian Moehler (8-10, 5.11 ERA) takes the hill for Houston. The veteran right-hander is 2-3 with a 6.38 ERA in 11 games lifetime against the Phillies

Sunday, September 6th

Astros 4, Phillies 3

The Phillies’ woes in Houston continued …

The big blow came off the bat of Carlos Lee, who fought off a 3-2 breaking pitch by Cole Hamels, sending the ball over Chase Utley and into right field to plate the game-tying and winning runs in the fifth inning.

Hamels allowed four earned runs, scattered eight hits and struck out six over six innings. He DID NOT pitch poorly. Simply put, he got himself into some situations where the Astros kept fouling off pitches… and the Astros connected on some good pitches.

This WAS NOT one of those “What the hell is wrong with Cole Hamels?” starts by Hamels.

The offense, again, was stagnant. Jimmy Rollins got things going with a solo shot off Astros starter Bud Norris. Ben Francisco’s homer in the fourth made it 2-1 Phillies. Jayson Werth belted his 31st dinger of the season to trim the deficit to 4-3 in the eighth.

On a positive note, Raul Ibanez had a pair of singles … his first multiple-hit game in who the hell knows.

Chad Durbin looked sharp in two innings of relief.

—

It’s frustrating losing the first three games of a four-game series, no matter who you’re playing, because it’s as if the fourth game FEELS LIKE a loss… win or lose. Salvaging a fourth game is hardly satisfying… but the Phillies have to find a way to do it before traveling to D.C. to face the Nationals, who did their job Sunday by beating the Marlins. As a result, the Phils maintained their 6 1/2-game advantage in the division.

Oh, and by the way… Michael Bourn is a helluva a player. I’ll admit that I never thought he’d be more than a fourth outfielder, but that trade right now is looking good for the Astros. I’d trade Lidge back in a heartbeat for Bourn. The dude is the fastest player in baseball, no questions asked…

Phillies vs. Astros

7:05 p.m. EST at Minute Maid Park

After last night’s disaster, the Phillies look to even the four-game series behind the arm of Joe Blanton (9-6, 3.77 ERA).

In the last four games, the Phillies scored only three runs and were shut out on two occassions. Friday night, Wandy Rodriguez stymied the Phillies and the Astros jumped all over Cliff Lee… whose gone from folk hero to Adam Eaton-esque over his last two outings.

But the real problem is not the Phillies’ ace. It remains the slumping offense, which is basically hit or miss right now… and more often than not, it’s been miss.

Blanton logged his career-best 10th quality start in a victory over the Braves on Sunday. He threw seven strong innings, allowing only one run and three hits.

Roy Oswalt (8-5, 3.80 ERA) is starting to resemble Roy Oswalt again. The hard-throwing rightly won for the second time in three starts against the Cubs on Monday. Lifetime against the Phillies, Oswalt is 6-1 with a 3.28 ERA in eight starts.

Didn’t get to see the game…

But apparently Wandy Rodriguez silenced the Phillies’ already deaf at-bats. And Cliff Lee tossed another clunker.

Wanda from IN LIVING COLOR

What’s the deal with Raul Ibanez?

Raul Ibanez's downslide continues. What will the Phillies do if the 37-year-old keeps on struggling?

It’s no secret that Ibanez has struggled mightily since his return from the disabled list in early July. Entering Thursday’s game against San Francisco, Ibanez was hitting .213 during since that time.

One would have to think that the 37-year-old didn’t properly heal from his groin injury. That’s just pure speculation… but when you get that old, your body can only withstand so much. Fact is, Ibanez is so late with his timing, it’s kind of sad to watch right now. He’s off balance in every at-bat. The days of him hitting everything hard are long gone.

The Phillies need Ibanez’s production. Where would this team be without his strong first half of the season? He’s hurting the line up right now… but sitting him down for a few days won’t really help anything, either.

Can Cliff Lee bounce back?

Yes. There’s no question. Lee’s clunker-to-gem ratio is pretty darn good over the last few years. Like any top-notch starting pitcher, you’re gonna have some bad days. Nobody is perfect. We all were spoiled with Lee’s first five starts.

I’d imagine he’ll shut down the ‘Stros tonight and get back on the winning track.

What role will Brett Myers play?

Myers should be available in the bullpen this weekend. At this point (and I wrote about this on Thursday), I think Myers’ will spell Chan Ho Park or Ryan Madson in the seventh and eighth innings, every now and then.

And if Brad Lidge reverts back to Bad Lidge, I fully expect Myers to be closing games in late September. Myers is a great piece to have right now and going forward. The best thing about him is his versatility.

Have questions for THREE QS? Send ‘em to msmith@nleastchatter.com.

Chris Coste has been claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Coste was designated for assignment earlier today in order to make room for Raul Ibanez, who has been activated from the disabled list.

Coste batted .245 with two home runs and eight RBI with the Phillies this season. In four seasons, the 36-year-old is hitting .282 with 23 homers and 98 RBI.

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What in the hell is thinking behind this decision??? I’d much rather have Coste as the backup catcher than Paul Bako, who can’t hit a lick! At least Coste has some pop in his bat. Disappointing move  made by our pompous GM, but no surprise that Eddy Wade (Astros GM) is picking up the Phillies trash again. I swear it is Wade’s goal to turn the Astros into the 2005 version of the Phillies.