Phillies vs. Giants

10:05 PM EST at AT&T Park

Ryan Howard received a package from the Phillies via UPS today. This was what was inside.

In a desperate attempt to draw the attention away from how badly the Phils match up against the Giants tonight (except Roy Halladay), they signed Ryan Howard to a redonkulous deal. Keystone of franchise? Check. Biggest sports star in Philadelphia? Check. All-Star production for the next six years? Uh..let us hope.

Back to a more important matter, however, is that Howard will get a chance to blow some of that cash in San Francisco as the Phillies open a three game series against the Giants. The Phillies are like, awkwardly bad in this stadium, losing the last five of six. The only win came off of the gem that Cliff Lee (remember him?) twirled. I attended two of them, they lost both. I’m still bitter.

The good news is that it is Halladay season in the Bay City, the bad news is that recent history suggests this may be the first loss for our stud. Doc has two career starts in San Fran, in which he’s racked up a 0-1 record with a 7.71 ERA. This season is a different story though, as he is possibly the best pitcher in NL so far. His competeition? Tim Lincecum, but we’ll save that story for game three.

Remember that no-name guy who threw that no-hitter last year for the Giants? Jonathan Sanchez is really a hit or miss type of pitcher. When he’s on, he can deal. In fact, in his last start he threw seven innings of one hit baseball (he was still the tough luck loser). A good, young, hot left handed pitcher is everything the Phillies don’t need right now. The lineup obviously hasn’t been released yet, but I would assume Shane and Placido’s right handed bats will be reinserted.

It’s one thing to talk about lefty on lefty match ups, but when it comes to the Phillies and Sanchez they’ve lived up to the hype. Howard is 3 – 12 with six strike outs. Utley is 1 – 8. And our right handers don’t fare much better. Jayson Werth is 0 -7, while VictoRINO (like that? get it?…like a Rinosaurus) is 2 – 9.

Fun Phact – With his new deal, Ryan Howard could replace all of the home run balls he’s hit in his MLB career (The MLB charges $170.25 per case of ten balls?!). He would still have $124,996,118.75 left over.

According to a CSNPhilly.com report, the Phillies have agreed to terms with Ryan Howard on a five year, $125 million contract extension.

The extension will begin in 2012 and go through the 2016 season.

Howard was set to become a free agent after 2011.

Phillies 2, Braves 0

Wednesday, April 21st

Roy Halladay is to awesome as this Golden Lab puppy is to cute......... What? Too soft for a sports blog?

Give the Cy Young Award to Roy Halladay right now.

Halladay pitched his second complete game, got his fourth win and lowered his minscule ERA to 0.82.

This guy is a hell of a lot of fun to watch. The way he uses all five or six of his pitches… it’s absolutely impossible to sit on something if you’re the hitter.

Halladay had some fun battles with Jason Heyward, who I’m convinced is some kind of man beast.

The key play of the game, obviously, was the double play turned by Chase Utley with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. With one out, Yunel Escober hit a hot shot up the middle, which was stabbed by Utley, who flipped to Juan Castro for the start of a 4-6-3 twin-killing.

Halladay also benefited from a home run taken away by Shane Victorino in the second.

Jayson Werth hit an RBI triple. Werth, Utley and Ryan Howard are all batting well over .300.

While the runs haven’t been coming in bunches lately, the pitching has been solid. Throw away Jamie Moyer’s five-run inning against Florida last Friday and Ryan Madson’s disaster in the ninth Tuesday.

The bad news coming out of the game was Placido Polanco, who with a bruised left elbow after getting his by a pitch.

He could miss Thursday’s series finale.

Ryan Howard’s newfound approach at the plate is producing tremendous results seven games into the season.

The slugger is on pace to have a career year. The home runs (three) and RBIs (11) are typical, but what’s going on with that batting average?

Howard is batting .375 (12-for-32) with a .412 on-base percentage. Again, it’s early, but it’s hard not to be impressed with Howard’s numbers so far.

More impressive, Howard has three hits the opposite way to left field. He had a total of nine all of last year.

He has only four strikeouts in 32 at-bats, a tremendous ration for a guy whose averaged 190 Ks since his MVP year in 2006.

If Howard continues to rake, driving the ball to all fields, the Ryan Howard Shift will cease to exist.

Who can we thank for Howard’s emergence as a complete hitter? Barry Bonds.

Yes, the Barry Bonds.

In January, Howard worked out with Bonds for four days in Tampa, Fla.

“For me, it was about trying to learn,” Howard recently told reporters. “I wanted to learn what it was that he did over his career. I was just sitting back and listening. A lot of the things that he taught me were basically staying with basics for the most part…”

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.

Nationals 6, Phillies 5

Thursday, April 8th

The Phillies should have came away with a season-opening sweep of the lowly Nats on Thursday. They had ample opportunities to score the game-tying and winning runs. Ultimately, they fell flat… sort of like Raul Ibanez’s batting average.

Kyle Kendrick resembled the same marginal major-league pitching talent from last year. He allowed three runs in the first inning and five total over four innings.

So much for all the preseason hype.

The Phils battled back and eventually tied the score. Jayson Werth was 3-for-5 with three doubles, while Ryan Howard and Chase Utley both had two hits.

Too many dudes left stranded in this one (11 LOBS, 1-for-14 RISP), though. The Phils had runners on second and third in the eighth, but couldn’t capitalize.

In the ninth, you got the sense they were going to pummel Matt Capps, who might as well be the team’s personal BP hurler. Utley got things going with a hustle double, followed by an intentional walk to Howard. Werth got Utley over to third with a fly ball, but Ibanez popped up and Shane Victorino grounded out to end the game.

Ibanez is a smokin’ 1-for-11 on the year. Victorino’s not too far off.

Well, the 162-0 season is out the window.

On a personal note, I vomited in my mouth in the bottom of the seventh inning when Nelson Figueroa and Brian Schneider re-formed one of the greatest battery’s in recent Mets history.

For the love of hell, why must we employ not one, but two regulars from the Mets’ 2009 roster?

Having  a pair of perennial losers on the 25-man roster is a bad omen. Believe it.

Where’s Paul Bako?

ESPN.com senior baseball writer Buster Olney reported Sunday that the Phillies have “kicked around” the idea of approaching the Cardinals about a trade involving Ryan Howard and Albert Pujols.

Olney reports that it would be a blockbuster one-for-one deal.

“Lies,” GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told Olney. “That’s a lie. I don’t know who you’re talking to, but that’s a lie.”

Olney goes on to write about the logic surrounding a potenial trade:

For starters, Pujols would give the Phillies a lethal right-handed power bat in a lefty-heavy lineup.

Pujols and Howard are scheduled to be free agents after the 2011 season. The Cardinals haven’t made progress with Pujols as far as a contract extension in concerned. The Cardinals, according to Olney, could seek trade suitors for Pujols , a la Toronto and Roy Halladay, knowing they will have no chance to re-sign the reigning MVP.

The Phillies must consider the possibility of life without Howard, too. However, dealing for Pujols wouldn’t solve that problem because, in all likelihood, they wouldn’t be able to lock Pujols to a long-term contract extension, either.

Pujols is likely to command for money than Howard in the open market.

Howard is a St. Louis native and is considered a local hero.

Will this ever happen? Probably not. Fun to speculate? Definitely.

It has been  24 hours since the Phillies relinquished their World Series championship to the New York Yankees. Hell, the Yanks were the better team. 

But… they weren’t a FAR superior team.

In fact, you could argue the Phillies could have repeat had Brad Lidge not blown up in the ninth inning of Game 4. If Lidge gets out of the inning unscathed, and the Phillies scratch out a game-winning, the Series is tied.

Oh well. No sense in playing the coulda/shoulda/woulda game.

So, what went wrong? Hmm, I can think of three things…

Ryan Howard was terrible

The Big Piece was having a tremendous postseason. He had won the NLCS MVP and came into the World Series with 14 RBIs in the playoffs.

After winning the NLCS in five games, the Phillies had a week layoff and that, I feel, was detrimental to Howard’s groove.  Granted, the Yankees’ left-handed pitchers kept the slugger in check, but when a guy is that hot coming into a series and all of the sudden goes soft, it begs the question about too much rest.

Howard is a streaky hitter. He’ll carry the team for a month or two straight. He was doing that in the playoffs until the lengthy time off.

Howard batted .174 with one homer, three RBIs and a World Series-record 13 strikeouts. That’s not the kind of performance I expected. His MIA status was huge.

Pitching: The Yankees were better

Duh, right?

Lidge was awful, as we know. So, too, was Cole Hamels.

The only reliable pitcher was Cliff Lee. Matter of fact, it was that way for the entire playoffs. Whereas the Yankees had three guys they could count on in Andy Pettitte, CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett… the Phillies’ starting pitching was a big question mark.

Last year, the Phillies had an untouchable bullpen. This year? Argggh.

The year-long instability caught up to the Phillies at the very last moment.

Clutch hitting was nonexistent

The Phillies got back to the World Series behind the strength of clutch hitting. Jimmy Rollins, Howard, Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz … those guys all came through in the NLDS and NLCS.

Really, the only guy that was consistent in the World Series was Chase Utley… and even he stranded a lot of guys on base when he wasn’t smashing home runs.

Well, those are just a few reasons why the Phillies aren’t preparing for their second straight parade down Broad St.

As my former middle school baseball coach once told me, “When you don’t play as good as your opponent, you will not be as good as your opponent.”

Yeaaah.

World Series Game 5

Phillies vs. Yankees

7:57 PM at Citizens Bank Park

In order to express the importance of tonight’s game, I turn to the most prominent Philadelphia sports athlete of all time; Hugh Douglas.

“It’s do or die. It’s do or die baby. It’s do or die. DO OR DIE. do or die!” Ok so maybe that’s not the exact quote, and maybe he’s not even close to prominent, but you get the picture. This is it for the Phillies, one last shot behind Cliff Lee to show any sign of life, or become the 27th team to fall victim to the Yankees towering payroll.

So this will be the second time the Yankees see Clifton Phifier Lee (Seriously, what were his parents thinking?). The same with the Phillies on Burnett. Both pitchers led their teams to wins in their last starts, but one will fall short tonight.

The Phillies better hope Burnett throws beach balls and they can establish a good, ehh I don’t know…20 run lead, before handing the ball over to their bullpen. Actually, I’d probably be biting my nails with any lead when Lidge comes in.

Is there really anymore to say? I can’t really get excited facing elimination. I’m disappointed in this team and the way that they have played through out the whole series. Ibanez and Howard are atrocious. And last night when Rollins and Victorino lead off and get on base in whatever inning and Utley, Howard, and Werth not only can’t knock them in, but can’t even advance them on an out. It’s like watching the Mets play their heartless baseball.

Here’s to sending this back to New York…I wouldn’t mind a couple more games eh?

The Dud

"I can't wait for (the season) to end."

There’s a quote from Cole Hamels following his disasterous outing against the Yankees in Game 3 Saturday night. Hamels was questioned about his terrible 2009 season and responded with that little gem.

Cole Hamels is done.  So, he can call it a season right now, empty out his locker and go home to his mansion in West Chester, Pa. It’s that type of attitude that has turned Hamels from legend to goat in the matter of 12 months. It’s sad, really.

Hamels had a 3-0 lead to work with and was stellar through three innings. Like a rogue wave, Hamels’ downfall was unseen, but in the pit of my stomach, I anticipated he would struggle at some point.

He was removed after 4 1/3 innings. He allowed five earned runs.

The Story

It was the starting pitching.

Whereas Hamels faltered after a strong start, Andy Pettitte bounced back from a shaky start and pitched six quality innings. The Phillies had a chance to break the game open in the second inning when they loaded the bases with one out. They managed three runs, but it could’ve been much more.

Jayson Werth hit two solo homers and Carlos Ruiz smashed a meaningless one in the ninth. Other than those two, the Phillies’ offense was silenced after the third inning.

Good bullpen pitching by New York. Mariano Rivera earned a two-out save.

All in all, the Phillies simply aren’t hitting. Ryan Howard is in a major funk (nine Ks in three games). I actually think the long layoff shattered the groove he was in. Jimmy Rollins, save a single to lead off the game, didn’t do much. Same for Shane Victorino, who had a dreadful at-bat against Pettitte in the second inning with the bases juiced. Hmm… Chase Utley has gone back to being a non-factor. And Pedro Feliz is Pedro Feliz.

Ruiz continues to rake and Werth essentially carried the offense.  That’s about it in terms of positives in the lineup right now.

The Turning Point

A-Rod’s two-run homer was reviewed by the umpires, who declared the ball would have travled over the right-field wall had it not hit a television camera.

No excuses.

A-Rod’s shot sparked the Yanks. Soon after, Hamels folded. The collapse came when he threw a get-me-over CURVEBALL to Pettitte, who swung and made contact for a hit to center field, which drove in the tying run. Johnny Damon then smoked a two-run double off Hamels.

The Next Game

This is what I feared the most. Charlie Manuel decided Friday that Joe Blanton will pitch Game 4 against CC Sabathia. Basically, as a Phillies fan, all you can do is cross your fingers and hope that Blanton gives you six-plus innings and doesn’t allow no more than three runs.

I have a feeling the Phillies will come out with an aggressive approach against Sabathia. This sounds lame, but I think Sabathia can get rattled if he lets the crowd get into his head. I thought he struggled with that “distraction” in last year’s NLDS. There’s also a possibility Sabathia struggles because he’s pitching on three days rest.

Speaking of the crowd, the fans were lame. Once the Phillies scored  those three runs, I think the feeling amongst the fans was that the game was in the bag.

When the Phillies got down, the crowd went silent for good… pretty much. We need a better effort in Game 4.

And like a New York City STD,  The Bank spread with “Let’s Go Yankees!” and “Hip-hip, Jorge!” chants from about the sixth inning on.