Game Recap:
Roy Oswalt left last night's game with back stiffness, and the bullpen couldn't keep the lead, allowing Florida to score twice in the top of the seventh as the Marlins took the first game of the three game set against the Phils.
What went right?
Shane Victorino didn't have a hit, but he walked twice and scored two runs.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with a run scored.
Raul Ibanez went 2-4 with two RBI.
Before leaving due to his back injury, Roy Oswalt pitched well, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings of work. He walked one and struck out six.
What went wrong?
Ross Gload started in right field, and was 0-3.
Placido Polanco, usually the most patient hitter in the lineup, swung at the first pitch with two outs in the ninth inning and flew out to left field.
Roy Oswalt left the game in the top of the seventh inning with a back injury.
The bullpen combination of J.C. Romero and Danys Baez couldn't keep the one run lead that the Phils had. Romero gave up a hit to the only batter he faced, and Baez only recorded one out while giving up two hits, a walk and allowing two runs to score.
The Phillies left eight men on base.
Game Analysis:
After back to back complete games by Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, you would expect that the Phillies' bullpen would have been well rested and able to do what they needed to do if called into action last night. Well, you would have been wrong. After Roy Oswalt strained his back in the bottom of the sixth inning, J.C. Romero and Danys Baez allowed two runs to score in the top of the seventh, giving the Marlins a lead that they wouldn't give up. With the loss, the Phils fall to 9-4 on the season, but more importantly, they may have lost Oswalt for a little while.
While he was in the game, Oswalt looked very good. He gave up only four hits and two runs in six innings, and had the same command of the plate that he'd had in his first two starts this season. As long as he doesn't miss much, if any time with his back injury, the Phillies will be fine. After the game, it didn't look like a big injury, but you can never tell with a back issue. Oswalt could be fine one day, and then it could flare up the next. Hopefully, it's nothing, but the Phillies have to try and take it easy with him for the next few days to see how he responds.
That's still no excuse for how the bullpen pitched in the seventh inning, however. After the bullpen struggled in the first game against the Nationals, Halladay and Lee gave them a nice two games off before they were called back in last night. J.C. Romero did more of what he's done all season long, which is struggle in situational at bats, and Danys Baez allowed the game winning run to score. The bullpen might not be needed that much early in the season, but they have to be able to keep a lead when they are brought in to pitch. Against the Nationals, they couldn't keep the game close, and last night against the Marlins, they weren't able to keep the lead at all. The bullpen is still a question mark for this team, and something is more than likely going to have to be done about it.
Then, there's the offense. Last night started out fine, as the Phillies got two runs in the first inning off of Javier Vasquez, but then missed chance after chance throughout the rest of the game. Even after Raul Ibanez singled home another run in the fifth inning, there were just too many missed chances by the Phillies at the plate last night. That game shouldn't have even been a one run game going into the seventh inning. It should have been a much bigger lead for the Phillies. The ninth inning was even worse, as it took Leo Nunez all of four pitches to work around a walk to John Mayberry. Those four pitches resulted in three outs, and Mayberry was left at first base. This team has to be more patient in those situations. They can't waste chances against teams that they should beat.
Regardless, it's still just one game, and tonight is a new night. Cole Hamels (1-1, 5.59 ERA) pitches for the Phillies, and Anibal Sanchez (0-1, 6.97 ERA) will go for the Marlins.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Flyers Search for the Cup: Game 1-Bobs was good, but the offense was cold as ice
No, that's not just a bad pun in the title. The Flyers peppered Buffalo's Ryan Miller with 35 shots, but he stopped them all as the Sabres won 1-0 and took a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
You can say what you want to say about how Sergei Bobrovsky finished the regular season, but last night, the rookie goalie was excellent. Bobs stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced and got the early playoff jitters out of the way as quickly as possible. He looked more like the goalie that had a surprising start to the year and forced Michael Leighton down into the minor leagues than the goalie that scuffled so much throughout most of March and April, and that's a good sign. For the Flyers to get anywhere in the playoffs this year, they're going to need to have good work from both Bobs and Brian Boucher in net.
Of course, they're also going to have to score a few goals along the way as well. Last night was just more of the same from the offense of late, as the Flyers failed to score on five power plays, including a game changing five on three chance that the Sabres were able to kill off. Despite the effort from Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers just couldn't get anything going for very long in the offensive end. The power play failure might be where the Flyers are missing Chris Pronger the most right now, because Pronger is excellent at getting the man advantage set up and keeping the puck in the offensive end. With him out, the power play has been one of the worst in the NHL and is showing no signs of getting any better any time soon, and that's a big problem for this Flyers team.
Hopefully, the Flyers can get Pronger back for at least part of this series, because that could be a huge momentum shift for this team. They need to get something going on the power play, because those failures were the primary reason that the Flyers lost the first game of this series. They didn't look horrible last night. In fact, they looked a lot better than they had over the past few weeks when they squandered the top seed in the Eastern Conference away. However, just looking better against one of the hottest teams in the NHL coming into the playoffs isn't going to get anything done. All it's going to do is get this team sent home for the summer that much quicker.
Last night's game was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't a win. The Flyers need to come out tomorrow night for Game 2 with more fire, more passion and a game plan that will ensure that this series is tied going up to Buffalo for Games 3 and 4. Bobrovsky was excellent, and it wasn't really his fault that the Sabres were able to score, but he needs to do more of the same as well. Ryan Miller is one of the best goalies in the NHL when he's hot, and right now, he's very hot. This isn't going to be an easy series to win, but the Flyers showed a lot of heart in last year's playoffs. Now, they just need to find it again.
Game 2 is tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Hopefully, the Flyers can break through and get this series tied. If not, it might not even come back to the Wells Fargo Center.
You can say what you want to say about how Sergei Bobrovsky finished the regular season, but last night, the rookie goalie was excellent. Bobs stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced and got the early playoff jitters out of the way as quickly as possible. He looked more like the goalie that had a surprising start to the year and forced Michael Leighton down into the minor leagues than the goalie that scuffled so much throughout most of March and April, and that's a good sign. For the Flyers to get anywhere in the playoffs this year, they're going to need to have good work from both Bobs and Brian Boucher in net.
Of course, they're also going to have to score a few goals along the way as well. Last night was just more of the same from the offense of late, as the Flyers failed to score on five power plays, including a game changing five on three chance that the Sabres were able to kill off. Despite the effort from Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers just couldn't get anything going for very long in the offensive end. The power play failure might be where the Flyers are missing Chris Pronger the most right now, because Pronger is excellent at getting the man advantage set up and keeping the puck in the offensive end. With him out, the power play has been one of the worst in the NHL and is showing no signs of getting any better any time soon, and that's a big problem for this Flyers team.
Hopefully, the Flyers can get Pronger back for at least part of this series, because that could be a huge momentum shift for this team. They need to get something going on the power play, because those failures were the primary reason that the Flyers lost the first game of this series. They didn't look horrible last night. In fact, they looked a lot better than they had over the past few weeks when they squandered the top seed in the Eastern Conference away. However, just looking better against one of the hottest teams in the NHL coming into the playoffs isn't going to get anything done. All it's going to do is get this team sent home for the summer that much quicker.
Last night's game was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't a win. The Flyers need to come out tomorrow night for Game 2 with more fire, more passion and a game plan that will ensure that this series is tied going up to Buffalo for Games 3 and 4. Bobrovsky was excellent, and it wasn't really his fault that the Sabres were able to score, but he needs to do more of the same as well. Ryan Miller is one of the best goalies in the NHL when he's hot, and right now, he's very hot. This isn't going to be an easy series to win, but the Flyers showed a lot of heart in last year's playoffs. Now, they just need to find it again.
Game 2 is tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Hopefully, the Flyers can break through and get this series tied. If not, it might not even come back to the Wells Fargo Center.
Phillies Recap: Phillies-4, Nationals-0
Game Recap:
Cliff Lee pitched his first complete game of the season, matching Roy Halladay's effort from the night before as the Phillies took their second straight game from the Washington Nationals.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 1-4 with an RBI.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 and drove in his first run of the season.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run.
Wilson Valdez went 1-3 and scored a run.
Cliff Lee was outstanding, pitching a three hit complete game in his third start of the season. He walked just one and struck out 12.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with a strikeout.
Ben Francisco went 0-4.
Raul Ibanez also went 0-4 with a strikeout.
The Phillies were no-hit by Jordan Zimmerman until the sixth inning.
Game Analysis:
Sorry about there not being a recap of Roy Halladay's start. Work got in the way again.
You could tell from the way the first inning went that last night;s game between the Phillies and the Nationals was going to be a pitcher's duel. Both Cliff Lee and Jordan Zimmerman had their best stuff going, but in the end, the Phillies made the most of the mistakes that the Nationals made and came out with a 4-0 victory. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, striking out 12 and allowing only three hits and a walk.
You knew that Lee wouldn't allow himself to have two bad starts in a row. After getting shelled by the Atlanta Braves his last time out, Lee looked more like the ace that the Phils picked up during the offseason than any time this season. Roy Halladay gave up two runs in his first complete game of the season the night before, and Lee did him one better by shutting the Nationals out and giving the Phillies their first back to back complete games since the 1999 season. That's what this rotation can do when it is firing on all cylinders. They can go out there and turn the tide of a series without doing anything at the plate. Joe Blanton got hit around in the first game of this series, but that was it. After that, the Nationals had just two runs and nine hits in the next two games. There's a word for that: dominant.
Of course, Lee had to have his best stuff last night, because he was being matched pitch for pitch by Jordan Zimmerman. The Phillies hit Zimmerman hard last year, but last night, he was excellent, keeping the Phils without a base runner until the sixth inning, when Carlos Ruiz launched a home run into the left field stands for the first run of the game. The second run of the inning came when Shane Victorino scored on an error by Jerry Hairston Jr, and the Phillies would add two more runs in the eighth inning to finish things off.
Last night was a prime example of what the Phillies have been doing at the plate so far this season. Jordan Zimmerman made one really bad pitch last night, and Carlos Ruiz made him pay for his mistake. Jerry Hairston Jr made a bad throw later in the inning, and the Phillies scored on the play. Twice in the sixth inning, the Nationals made a mistake, and each time, the Phillies jumped all over them. That's what this team has been doing so far this year. They've been making other teams pay for their mistakes. They didn't do a lot of that when it mattered last season, and that's why they lost in the NLCS. This year, even without Jayson Werth and Chase Utley, the team is scoring runs and hitting more than they did a season ago. It's because they are taking advantage of every last error, bad pitch and fielding mistep that their opponents are making. That's what possible World Series champions do.
Oh, and the best part about last night? Jayson Werth made the final out of the game and the series by grounding out. It seemed fitting.
Tonight, the Phils come home to face the Florida Marlins. Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.25 ERA) goes up against Javier Vasquez (1-1, 8.64 ERA).
Cliff Lee pitched his first complete game of the season, matching Roy Halladay's effort from the night before as the Phillies took their second straight game from the Washington Nationals.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 1-4 with an RBI.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 and drove in his first run of the season.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run.
Wilson Valdez went 1-3 and scored a run.
Cliff Lee was outstanding, pitching a three hit complete game in his third start of the season. He walked just one and struck out 12.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with a strikeout.
Ben Francisco went 0-4.
Raul Ibanez also went 0-4 with a strikeout.
The Phillies were no-hit by Jordan Zimmerman until the sixth inning.
Game Analysis:
Sorry about there not being a recap of Roy Halladay's start. Work got in the way again.
You could tell from the way the first inning went that last night;s game between the Phillies and the Nationals was going to be a pitcher's duel. Both Cliff Lee and Jordan Zimmerman had their best stuff going, but in the end, the Phillies made the most of the mistakes that the Nationals made and came out with a 4-0 victory. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, striking out 12 and allowing only three hits and a walk.
You knew that Lee wouldn't allow himself to have two bad starts in a row. After getting shelled by the Atlanta Braves his last time out, Lee looked more like the ace that the Phils picked up during the offseason than any time this season. Roy Halladay gave up two runs in his first complete game of the season the night before, and Lee did him one better by shutting the Nationals out and giving the Phillies their first back to back complete games since the 1999 season. That's what this rotation can do when it is firing on all cylinders. They can go out there and turn the tide of a series without doing anything at the plate. Joe Blanton got hit around in the first game of this series, but that was it. After that, the Nationals had just two runs and nine hits in the next two games. There's a word for that: dominant.
Of course, Lee had to have his best stuff last night, because he was being matched pitch for pitch by Jordan Zimmerman. The Phillies hit Zimmerman hard last year, but last night, he was excellent, keeping the Phils without a base runner until the sixth inning, when Carlos Ruiz launched a home run into the left field stands for the first run of the game. The second run of the inning came when Shane Victorino scored on an error by Jerry Hairston Jr, and the Phillies would add two more runs in the eighth inning to finish things off.
Last night was a prime example of what the Phillies have been doing at the plate so far this season. Jordan Zimmerman made one really bad pitch last night, and Carlos Ruiz made him pay for his mistake. Jerry Hairston Jr made a bad throw later in the inning, and the Phillies scored on the play. Twice in the sixth inning, the Nationals made a mistake, and each time, the Phillies jumped all over them. That's what this team has been doing so far this year. They've been making other teams pay for their mistakes. They didn't do a lot of that when it mattered last season, and that's why they lost in the NLCS. This year, even without Jayson Werth and Chase Utley, the team is scoring runs and hitting more than they did a season ago. It's because they are taking advantage of every last error, bad pitch and fielding mistep that their opponents are making. That's what possible World Series champions do.
Oh, and the best part about last night? Jayson Werth made the final out of the game and the series by grounding out. It seemed fitting.
Tonight, the Phils come home to face the Florida Marlins. Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.25 ERA) goes up against Javier Vasquez (1-1, 8.64 ERA).
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Phillies Recap: Nationals-7, Phillies-4
Game Recap:
Joe Blanton had another rough outing, and Jayson Werth hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Nationals a 7-4 win over the Phillies in their first matchup of the season.
What went right?
Placido Polanco was 2-5 with an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a home run and two runs scored.
Wilson Valdez was 2-4 and scored a run.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with an RBI.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-5, including a strike out with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning.
Joe Blanton got hit around for his second straight rough outing to start the season. He allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings of work while striking out four and walking one.
The bullpen wasn't any help last night. Antonio Bastardo walked two, while David Herndon and Danys Baez each allowed runs to score.
The Phillies left eight men on base.
Game Analysis:
The big story going into last night's game was Jayson Werth making his first appearance against the Phillies for the Washington Nationals. Well, Werth did not disappoint the few Nationals fans that showed up, hitting a double and a home run while scoring twice against Joe Blanton as Washington took the first game in the three game series against the Phils.
As was the case in his first start of the year, Blanton looked good for a few innings, only allowing a run in the bottom of the second, but then he got hit with the same thing that's given him fits with the Phillies: the big inning. Washington scored three times in the bottom of the fourth, and then Jayson Werth finished things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended up being the game winning run. Blanton is still a solid pitcher, but right now, he's going through the same problems that he's had at other times during the regular season. He can cruise through a couple of innings, but then the big inning creeps up, and he can't seem to get anyone out. It happened against the Mets in his first start of the year, and it happened last night against the Nationals. If it continues to happen over his next few starts, Blanton might find himself out of the rotation. Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley are both waiting in the wings.
Last night's loss was not all on Blanton, however. The bullpen didn't do their job either. David Herndon and Danys Baez each gave up runs in their time in the game, and Antonio Bastardo didn't have the same control that he's had early in the season, as he walked two batters and only recorded a single out while he was on the mound. If a starting pitcher has a bad start, it's up to the bullpen to make sure that the lead doesn't get any bigger. In Blanton's first start, the bullpen did that. Last night, they couldn't, and that in turn put more pressure on the offense.
I don't know how Livan Hernandez does what he does on the mound, but it seems like he can baffle the Phillies until he's 50 years old. Last night, it was more of the same, as only Ryan Howard's solo home run in the second inning kept Hernandez from a shut out while he was on the mound. The Phils got seven hits off of Hernandez, but couldn't capitalize even once with runners in scoring position. Even when they managed to chase Hernandez from the game by getting the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, Shane Victorino struck out against Tyler Clippard, and the threat was over. Victorino has had some big hits this year, but he needed to get one there, because the Phils scored twice in the top of the eighth inning and a bases loaded hit for Victorino may have turned the tide. Instead, the Nationals came out with a win.
Aside from Blanton looking off in both of his starts, there's not too much to be concerned about from last night's game. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fun watching Werth get his against the Phils, but it happens. Tonight's a new night, and there's still a lot of baseball to be played.
Tonight, Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69 ERA) pitches for the Phillies. John Lannan (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will go for the Nationals.
Joe Blanton had another rough outing, and Jayson Werth hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Nationals a 7-4 win over the Phillies in their first matchup of the season.
What went right?
Placido Polanco was 2-5 with an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a home run and two runs scored.
Wilson Valdez was 2-4 and scored a run.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with an RBI.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-5, including a strike out with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning.
Joe Blanton got hit around for his second straight rough outing to start the season. He allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings of work while striking out four and walking one.
The bullpen wasn't any help last night. Antonio Bastardo walked two, while David Herndon and Danys Baez each allowed runs to score.
The Phillies left eight men on base.
Game Analysis:
The big story going into last night's game was Jayson Werth making his first appearance against the Phillies for the Washington Nationals. Well, Werth did not disappoint the few Nationals fans that showed up, hitting a double and a home run while scoring twice against Joe Blanton as Washington took the first game in the three game series against the Phils.
As was the case in his first start of the year, Blanton looked good for a few innings, only allowing a run in the bottom of the second, but then he got hit with the same thing that's given him fits with the Phillies: the big inning. Washington scored three times in the bottom of the fourth, and then Jayson Werth finished things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended up being the game winning run. Blanton is still a solid pitcher, but right now, he's going through the same problems that he's had at other times during the regular season. He can cruise through a couple of innings, but then the big inning creeps up, and he can't seem to get anyone out. It happened against the Mets in his first start of the year, and it happened last night against the Nationals. If it continues to happen over his next few starts, Blanton might find himself out of the rotation. Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley are both waiting in the wings.
Last night's loss was not all on Blanton, however. The bullpen didn't do their job either. David Herndon and Danys Baez each gave up runs in their time in the game, and Antonio Bastardo didn't have the same control that he's had early in the season, as he walked two batters and only recorded a single out while he was on the mound. If a starting pitcher has a bad start, it's up to the bullpen to make sure that the lead doesn't get any bigger. In Blanton's first start, the bullpen did that. Last night, they couldn't, and that in turn put more pressure on the offense.
I don't know how Livan Hernandez does what he does on the mound, but it seems like he can baffle the Phillies until he's 50 years old. Last night, it was more of the same, as only Ryan Howard's solo home run in the second inning kept Hernandez from a shut out while he was on the mound. The Phils got seven hits off of Hernandez, but couldn't capitalize even once with runners in scoring position. Even when they managed to chase Hernandez from the game by getting the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, Shane Victorino struck out against Tyler Clippard, and the threat was over. Victorino has had some big hits this year, but he needed to get one there, because the Phils scored twice in the top of the eighth inning and a bases loaded hit for Victorino may have turned the tide. Instead, the Nationals came out with a win.
Aside from Blanton looking off in both of his starts, there's not too much to be concerned about from last night's game. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fun watching Werth get his against the Phils, but it happens. Tonight's a new night, and there's still a lot of baseball to be played.
Tonight, Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69 ERA) pitches for the Phillies. John Lannan (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will go for the Nationals.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Phillies Series Recap: Phils take two of three from Atlanta
Sorry about the lack of updates over the past few days, but my work schedule has been killer, leaving me with little time to actually post anything, let alone watch the full games. Anyway, I've got a series recap from the Phils trip down to Atlanta, where they took two out of three games from the Braves and looked good doing it.
Series Recap:
After dropping the first game of the series to Atlanta, the Phillies came back and took the next two games. The offense shelled the Atlanta bullpen for six runs in a 10-2 win on Saturday, while Cole Hamels and the bullpen pitched a five hit shutout in a 3-0 win today.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was lights out in the entire series, going a combined 9-13 with his first home run of the year, five runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases.
Carlos Ruiz had a clutch pinch hit grand slam on Saturday that turned a tight 3-2 game into a 7-2 blowout. He finished that game with five RBI in two at bats.
Jimmy Rollins had at least a hit or a run scored in each of the three games.
Ryan Howard didn't have many hits, but he did drive in a run in every game of the series.
Brian Schneider started at catcher on Saturday and hit a two run home run that gave the Phillies the lead for good.
Roy Oswalt earned his second win of the season on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Cole Hamels looked every bit like the fourth ace in the rotation today, shutting out the Braves in his seven innings of work while picking up his first win of the season. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out eight.
The bullpen was nothing short of outstanding during the entire series. In the three games, the 'pen didn't allow a single run, only gave up four hits and two walks in nine and two thirds innings while striking out 11. It was a very good weekend series for the bullpen.
What went wrong?
Placido Polanco had a rough series, going 2-13.
Ben Francisco was 3-11 in the three games.
Cliff Lee had a rough game on Friday night, only lasting three and a third innings while allowing six runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Series Analysis:
After an opening homestand that saw the Phillies go 5-1, they faced their first road test of the season against the Atlanta Braves this weekend. While the Phils had a little speed bump on Friday night, they played strong and took the next two games of the series, giving them their third straight series win and pushing their record to an impressive 7-2 to start the year.
Cliff Lee made his second start of the season on Friday night, and it was the mirror image of his first start. Nothing seemed to go his way, he left balls out over the plate and couldn't get hitters out when he needed to get the job done. Chipper Jones' three run double finished Lee off, and while you can argue that Shane Victorino should have made a play on that hit, you also have to realize that Lee should have made a better pitch. There are some nights when pitchers just don't have what it takes, and Friday night was one of those for Cliff Lee. Just like Cole Hamels against the Mets, every pitcher has a couple of bad starts a year. This was one of those for Lee. He'll be fine, and the offense bounced back in a big way on Saturday.
Just as they had in the first game of the series, the Phillies got out to an early lead against the Braves in the second game, and while Roy Oswalt got hit for two runs (though only one was earned) in the third inning, the Phils were able to come back in the next inning. Brian Schneider's two run home run gave the Phillies the lead to stay, and a 3-2 game turned into a 7-2 rout with one swing off the bat of Carlos Ruiz in the seventh inning. Ruiz's pinch hit grand slam ended the game, for all intended purposes, though the Phillies added three more insurance runs to make sure that the Braves weren't going to come back. It was a perfect answer for what the Braves had done to the Phillies the night before.
After the offensive outburst on Saturday, the bats were a little bit more quiet today, but Cole Hamels made sure that it didn't matter. Hamels pitched seven shut out innings while the offense was able to scrape together three runs for a 3-0 win that gave the Phils the series win. Hamels was excellent on the mound, and showed no signs of the pitcher that couldn't get through the third inning against the Mets in his first start of the year. Today, he looked like the same pitcher that was excellent in the second half of the 2010 season, striking out eight and only allowing four hits. While he did have a little trouble in a few innings, he was able to pitch out of it, and looked good at the same time. That's the effort that this team needs out of Hamels, and he gave it today. There's no reason to worry about him, he'll be fine this year, and today's start showed it.
For the third straight game in this series, the bullpen was simply excellent. Jose Contreras worked a perfect ninth inning for his second save of the season, striking out Dan Uggla to end the game. Throughout the entire weekend, the bullpen was excellent. Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and J.C. Romero kept the Phillies in the game on Friday night, David Herndon, Danys Baez and Romero held the lead on Saturday, and Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras finished things off today. The combined effort from the bullpen was simply amazing. The Braves only managed four hits and no runs in over nine innings against the bullpen, which helps answer a lot of questions right now. Yes, it was only one series, but the fact remains that the Braves couldn't score a single run against a bullpen that had a lot of question marks coming into the season.
Though the offense didn't score that many runs, save for Saturday's game, they produced runs early in each of the three games. The Phils jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Friday, though they couldn't hold the lead, and they got early leads on Saturday and Sunday as well. Shane Victorino looked like a good leadoff hitter, picking up nine hits in 13 at bats in the series with five runs scored. That's what a leadoff hitter should do, and Victorino is now leading the team with a .429 batting average. Shane has looked excellent in the past two series, and the team is responding by scoring 59 runs in nine games. That averages to over six and a half runs a game, and if you score six and a half runs a game, you're going to win most baseball games.
This was another solid series for the Phillies early in the season. They've won all three series so far, and are sitting in first place in the National League East. The offense is scoring a lot more than people expected, the starting pitching has been solid, with all four aces picking up a win already and Roy Oswalt getting two, and the bullpen has been better than anyone could have expected. The Braves needed a good series against the Phillies after dropping three of four to the Brewers, but the Phillies didn't let that happen. Despite the struggles that Cliff Lee had on Friday, it was quite the successful three game stint in Atlanta for the Phils.
Tomorrow, the Phillies have a day off before going to Washington for a series against the Nationals. Joe Blanton (0-0, 14.54 ERA) will make his second start of the season against Livan Hernandez (0-1, 4.76 ERA).
Series Recap:
After dropping the first game of the series to Atlanta, the Phillies came back and took the next two games. The offense shelled the Atlanta bullpen for six runs in a 10-2 win on Saturday, while Cole Hamels and the bullpen pitched a five hit shutout in a 3-0 win today.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was lights out in the entire series, going a combined 9-13 with his first home run of the year, five runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases.
Carlos Ruiz had a clutch pinch hit grand slam on Saturday that turned a tight 3-2 game into a 7-2 blowout. He finished that game with five RBI in two at bats.
Jimmy Rollins had at least a hit or a run scored in each of the three games.
Ryan Howard didn't have many hits, but he did drive in a run in every game of the series.
Brian Schneider started at catcher on Saturday and hit a two run home run that gave the Phillies the lead for good.
Roy Oswalt earned his second win of the season on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Cole Hamels looked every bit like the fourth ace in the rotation today, shutting out the Braves in his seven innings of work while picking up his first win of the season. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out eight.
The bullpen was nothing short of outstanding during the entire series. In the three games, the 'pen didn't allow a single run, only gave up four hits and two walks in nine and two thirds innings while striking out 11. It was a very good weekend series for the bullpen.
What went wrong?
Placido Polanco had a rough series, going 2-13.
Ben Francisco was 3-11 in the three games.
Cliff Lee had a rough game on Friday night, only lasting three and a third innings while allowing six runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Series Analysis:
After an opening homestand that saw the Phillies go 5-1, they faced their first road test of the season against the Atlanta Braves this weekend. While the Phils had a little speed bump on Friday night, they played strong and took the next two games of the series, giving them their third straight series win and pushing their record to an impressive 7-2 to start the year.
Cliff Lee made his second start of the season on Friday night, and it was the mirror image of his first start. Nothing seemed to go his way, he left balls out over the plate and couldn't get hitters out when he needed to get the job done. Chipper Jones' three run double finished Lee off, and while you can argue that Shane Victorino should have made a play on that hit, you also have to realize that Lee should have made a better pitch. There are some nights when pitchers just don't have what it takes, and Friday night was one of those for Cliff Lee. Just like Cole Hamels against the Mets, every pitcher has a couple of bad starts a year. This was one of those for Lee. He'll be fine, and the offense bounced back in a big way on Saturday.
Just as they had in the first game of the series, the Phillies got out to an early lead against the Braves in the second game, and while Roy Oswalt got hit for two runs (though only one was earned) in the third inning, the Phils were able to come back in the next inning. Brian Schneider's two run home run gave the Phillies the lead to stay, and a 3-2 game turned into a 7-2 rout with one swing off the bat of Carlos Ruiz in the seventh inning. Ruiz's pinch hit grand slam ended the game, for all intended purposes, though the Phillies added three more insurance runs to make sure that the Braves weren't going to come back. It was a perfect answer for what the Braves had done to the Phillies the night before.
After the offensive outburst on Saturday, the bats were a little bit more quiet today, but Cole Hamels made sure that it didn't matter. Hamels pitched seven shut out innings while the offense was able to scrape together three runs for a 3-0 win that gave the Phils the series win. Hamels was excellent on the mound, and showed no signs of the pitcher that couldn't get through the third inning against the Mets in his first start of the year. Today, he looked like the same pitcher that was excellent in the second half of the 2010 season, striking out eight and only allowing four hits. While he did have a little trouble in a few innings, he was able to pitch out of it, and looked good at the same time. That's the effort that this team needs out of Hamels, and he gave it today. There's no reason to worry about him, he'll be fine this year, and today's start showed it.
For the third straight game in this series, the bullpen was simply excellent. Jose Contreras worked a perfect ninth inning for his second save of the season, striking out Dan Uggla to end the game. Throughout the entire weekend, the bullpen was excellent. Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and J.C. Romero kept the Phillies in the game on Friday night, David Herndon, Danys Baez and Romero held the lead on Saturday, and Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras finished things off today. The combined effort from the bullpen was simply amazing. The Braves only managed four hits and no runs in over nine innings against the bullpen, which helps answer a lot of questions right now. Yes, it was only one series, but the fact remains that the Braves couldn't score a single run against a bullpen that had a lot of question marks coming into the season.
Though the offense didn't score that many runs, save for Saturday's game, they produced runs early in each of the three games. The Phils jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Friday, though they couldn't hold the lead, and they got early leads on Saturday and Sunday as well. Shane Victorino looked like a good leadoff hitter, picking up nine hits in 13 at bats in the series with five runs scored. That's what a leadoff hitter should do, and Victorino is now leading the team with a .429 batting average. Shane has looked excellent in the past two series, and the team is responding by scoring 59 runs in nine games. That averages to over six and a half runs a game, and if you score six and a half runs a game, you're going to win most baseball games.
This was another solid series for the Phillies early in the season. They've won all three series so far, and are sitting in first place in the National League East. The offense is scoring a lot more than people expected, the starting pitching has been solid, with all four aces picking up a win already and Roy Oswalt getting two, and the bullpen has been better than anyone could have expected. The Braves needed a good series against the Phillies after dropping three of four to the Brewers, but the Phillies didn't let that happen. Despite the struggles that Cliff Lee had on Friday, it was quite the successful three game stint in Atlanta for the Phils.
Tomorrow, the Phillies have a day off before going to Washington for a series against the Nationals. Joe Blanton (0-0, 14.54 ERA) will make his second start of the season against Livan Hernandez (0-1, 4.76 ERA).
Phillie of the Week: April 1-9
The first week and a half of the regular season couldn't have really gone much better for the Phillies. They started things off with a sweep of the Astros, then took two out of three from the Mets before heading down to Atlanta to face the Braves. The starting pitching has been solid, the bullpen has been outstanding, and the offense has been even better than advertised. That's why the first Phillie of the Week is coming from the offense. This week's Phillie of the Week is:
Ryan Howard
The big man has done everything right in the middle of the lineup so far this season. Despite being a notoriously slow starter, Howard has been excellent this year, hitting .406 with two home runs and ten RBI in the first eight games of the year. If he can keep this up, the offense will have very little to worry about.
Ryan Howard
The big man has done everything right in the middle of the lineup so far this season. Despite being a notoriously slow starter, Howard has been excellent this year, hitting .406 with two home runs and ten RBI in the first eight games of the year. If he can keep this up, the offense will have very little to worry about.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Phillies Recap: Phillies-11, Mets-0
Game Recap:
The Phillies finished their first homestand of the season with an 11 run beatdown of the New York Mets today. Roy Halladay pitched seven innings to get his first win of the season.
What went right?
Where do I even begin with this one?
Shane Victorino was 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
Placido Polanco went 2-5 and drove in four runs.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 and scored twice.
Raul Ibanez was 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a two run home run. He scored three times.
Wilson Valdez had an excellent game, going 4-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.
Roy Halladay picked up his first win of the season, pitching seven shutout innings while giving up seven hits. He walked one, struck out seven and went 1-2 at the plate.
The bullpen had another solid showing, as Danys Baez and David Herndon pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to finish off the Mets.
What went wrong?
The Phillies hit into two double plays. Yes, I'm nitpicking.
Game Analysis:
If last night's game was an early season gut check for the Phillies, today's game was a punch to the gut of the New York Mets. The Phillies got started in the third inning against Jon Niese and never looked back, scoring two or more runs in four of the next five innings. Niese only lasted four innings, and the Phils capped their first homestand of the year at 5-1.
Is anyone still questioning if this offense can produce runs? In six games this year, the Phillies have scored 43 times, including 21 runs in the last two games. That comes out to over seven runs a game, and that's impressive. What's even more impressive is that out of the six games that the Phillies have played this season, only once has a pitcher made it through the sixth inning. That was Brett Myers on Opening Day. The best pitcher for the Mets was Chris Young, and he only got into the sixth inning, he couldn't finish it. That means that this offense is showing great patience at the plate and are making the opposing pitchers pay for their mistakes. That's what they couldn't do at times last season. To see them doing it this early in the season is a very, very good thing.
I wrote about how hard Placido Polanco plays the game yesterday, and today, he looked even better, driving in four more runs, giving him eight on the season. For those of you keeping track at home, that's seven more than Jayson Werth currently has. Wilson Valdez had a great game, going 4-4 to improve his average to .429 with five RBI and four runs scored so far this season. Would fans rather have Chase Utley in at second base? Of course, but at least Valdez is making this injury to Chase sting a lot less.
Even though Ryan Howard didn't drive in a run today, the rest of the offense did their jobs. Aside from Polanco and Valdez, Carlos Ruiz drove in a run and Raul Ibanez hit a two run home run, his first of the season. That's the way this offense has worked so far this year. When one player doesn't drive a runner in, the next batter gets it taken care of. That's the mark of a good team. They should be able to do this and get the job done. The Phillies were 6-14 with runners in scoring position today, which is a .429 clip. What else can you say about that? When a team is hitting almost .500 with runners in scoring position, they're going to win, and usually by a large margin, which is what happened today.
Then, there's Roy Halladay. After allowing just a single run on Opening Day, Halladay was even better today, striking out seven while pitching seven shutout innings for his first win of the season. Despite not giving up any runs, Halladay did get into a little bit of trouble today, but, like any good pitcher, he was able to get out of it. That's what anyone should expect out of Roy Halladay. So far this year, he's done nothing to make fans think he can't get a second straight Cy Young Award, and his 0.69 ERA after two starts is right at the top of the National League. For Halladay though, it was just another day at the ballpark. He did what he is supposed to do, and that's pitch seven shutout innings and look very good, even in April.
For the first homestand of the season, things couldn't have gone much better for the Phillies. Yes, they dropped the first game of this series against the Mets, but they came back in the next two games to score 21 runs and pick up two wins. No Met pitcher made it through the sixth inning, and the pitching, especially out of the bullpen in the first two games, was excellent. Roy Halladay looked great on the mound today, and the team supported him with 11 runs. Compare that to the none that he got on Opening Day, and it's a very nice change. To put it simply, this season, for the moment, is so far, so good.
Tomorrow, the Phils go on the road for the first time this year as they head to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.86 ERA) pitches for the Phillies, and Tim Hudson (1-0, 1.29 ERA) goes for the Braves.
The Phillies finished their first homestand of the season with an 11 run beatdown of the New York Mets today. Roy Halladay pitched seven innings to get his first win of the season.
What went right?
Where do I even begin with this one?
Shane Victorino was 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
Placido Polanco went 2-5 and drove in four runs.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 and scored twice.
Raul Ibanez was 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a two run home run. He scored three times.
Wilson Valdez had an excellent game, going 4-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.
Roy Halladay picked up his first win of the season, pitching seven shutout innings while giving up seven hits. He walked one, struck out seven and went 1-2 at the plate.
The bullpen had another solid showing, as Danys Baez and David Herndon pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to finish off the Mets.
What went wrong?
The Phillies hit into two double plays. Yes, I'm nitpicking.
Game Analysis:
If last night's game was an early season gut check for the Phillies, today's game was a punch to the gut of the New York Mets. The Phillies got started in the third inning against Jon Niese and never looked back, scoring two or more runs in four of the next five innings. Niese only lasted four innings, and the Phils capped their first homestand of the year at 5-1.
Is anyone still questioning if this offense can produce runs? In six games this year, the Phillies have scored 43 times, including 21 runs in the last two games. That comes out to over seven runs a game, and that's impressive. What's even more impressive is that out of the six games that the Phillies have played this season, only once has a pitcher made it through the sixth inning. That was Brett Myers on Opening Day. The best pitcher for the Mets was Chris Young, and he only got into the sixth inning, he couldn't finish it. That means that this offense is showing great patience at the plate and are making the opposing pitchers pay for their mistakes. That's what they couldn't do at times last season. To see them doing it this early in the season is a very, very good thing.
I wrote about how hard Placido Polanco plays the game yesterday, and today, he looked even better, driving in four more runs, giving him eight on the season. For those of you keeping track at home, that's seven more than Jayson Werth currently has. Wilson Valdez had a great game, going 4-4 to improve his average to .429 with five RBI and four runs scored so far this season. Would fans rather have Chase Utley in at second base? Of course, but at least Valdez is making this injury to Chase sting a lot less.
Even though Ryan Howard didn't drive in a run today, the rest of the offense did their jobs. Aside from Polanco and Valdez, Carlos Ruiz drove in a run and Raul Ibanez hit a two run home run, his first of the season. That's the way this offense has worked so far this year. When one player doesn't drive a runner in, the next batter gets it taken care of. That's the mark of a good team. They should be able to do this and get the job done. The Phillies were 6-14 with runners in scoring position today, which is a .429 clip. What else can you say about that? When a team is hitting almost .500 with runners in scoring position, they're going to win, and usually by a large margin, which is what happened today.
Then, there's Roy Halladay. After allowing just a single run on Opening Day, Halladay was even better today, striking out seven while pitching seven shutout innings for his first win of the season. Despite not giving up any runs, Halladay did get into a little bit of trouble today, but, like any good pitcher, he was able to get out of it. That's what anyone should expect out of Roy Halladay. So far this year, he's done nothing to make fans think he can't get a second straight Cy Young Award, and his 0.69 ERA after two starts is right at the top of the National League. For Halladay though, it was just another day at the ballpark. He did what he is supposed to do, and that's pitch seven shutout innings and look very good, even in April.
For the first homestand of the season, things couldn't have gone much better for the Phillies. Yes, they dropped the first game of this series against the Mets, but they came back in the next two games to score 21 runs and pick up two wins. No Met pitcher made it through the sixth inning, and the pitching, especially out of the bullpen in the first two games, was excellent. Roy Halladay looked great on the mound today, and the team supported him with 11 runs. Compare that to the none that he got on Opening Day, and it's a very nice change. To put it simply, this season, for the moment, is so far, so good.
Tomorrow, the Phils go on the road for the first time this year as they head to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.86 ERA) pitches for the Phillies, and Tim Hudson (1-0, 1.29 ERA) goes for the Braves.
Phillies Recap: Phillies-10, Mets-7
Game Recap:
The Phillies blew a 7-0 lead against the Mets tonight, only to score three times in the fifth and sixth innings to earn their first win of the year against New York.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 2-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Placido Polanco went 3-5, scored once and drove in three.
Ryan Howard had another great game, going 4-4 at the plate with his second home run of the season and two RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 2-5 with an RBI.
Ben Francisco only had one hit in four at bats, but it was a solo home run that gave the Phils a 10-7 lead. He also scored twice.
Pete Orr started the game at second base and went 2-3 with two runs scored.
The bullpen was excellent tonight. Antonio Bastardo, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras pitched a combined four and two-thirds innings, allowing no runs on just two hits and a walk. Contreras picked up his first save of the season.
What went wrong?
Jimmy Rollins was 0-4.
Joe Blanton pitched well through the first three innings, but got into trouble in the fourth and fifth. He lasted just four and a third innings, allowing seven runs on ten hits. He walked two and struck out six.
Game Analysis:
One night after their first loss of the season, the Phillies needed a good bounce back win, and for four innings, it looked like they would have an easy run tonight. Joe Blanton had held the Mets to two runs, while the Phils had driven Mike Pelfrey from the game after just two innings of work and put up seven runs of their own. Then, the top of the fifth happened. Eleven Mets came to the plate in the inning, and by the time the dust had settled, the game was tied at 7-7. Fortunately for the Phillies, they scored twice in their part of the fifth and once more in the sixth before the bullpen shut down the Mets in a 10-7 win.
It wasn't the prettiest game in the world from a pitching standpoint, but you have to tip your hat to the bullpen tonight. After the innings that they had to put in last night following Cole Hamels' poor outing, the bullpen came in again tonight and did even better. Antonio Bastardo picked up his first win of the season, while J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras shut the door in the last three innings. When the starting pitching can't get the job done, it's up to the bullpen to at least keep the game close. Tonight, they did even more than that. They shut down a New York offense that has scored 13 runs against Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton. That's excellent, but not exactly what this team is going to want to have happen every night.
For three innings, Joe Blanton looked like the fourth ace of the rotation instead of Cole Hamels. He had the Mets guessing at his pitches, had excellent location with his fastball, and even drove in two runs in the bottom of the third inning with a single down the left field line. He ran into a little trouble in the fourth, giving up a two run home run to Angel Pagan, but then the wheels came off in the fifth inning. Five runs scored, all of them charged to Blanton, who only recorded a single out in the frame. That's two nights in a row that the Phillies have had their starting pitcher get shelled by the Mets. Now, the Mets have a better offense than most people think, but to not have either starting pitcher even get through the fifth inning? That's a problem right there.
Luckily the Phils had an answer for their poor starting pitching tonight, and that was their offense. After taking a game off, the Phils had their bats ready to go early and often. While Joe Blanton didn't make it out of the fifth inning, Mike Pelfrey couldn't even get through the third inning, having allowed seven runs in just two innings of work. Ryan Howard led the way again with his second home run of the season, but it was his single in the bottom of the fifth inning that had an even bigger impact.
You have to love the way that Placido Polanco plays the game of baseball, and it was clear on that Howard single in the fifth inning. Howard's infield single bounced away from pitcher Blaine Boyer. While Howard was safe at first, Polanco just kept running from second base. By the time the Mets realized what was going on and got the ball to home, Polanco had slid in safely. With that play, the Phillies had a 9-7 lead, and all the momentum that the Mets had gotten from their big top of the fifth inning was gone. Sometimes, that's all it takes.
This was a good bounce back win for the Phils tonight. They got the offense going again, and even if the starting pitching performance wasn't great, the bullpen certainly was. Tomorrow, the Phillies go for the series win against the Mets. Roy Halladay (0-0, 1.50 ERA) goes for the Phils, and Jon Niese (0-0, 2.57 ERA) will pitch for New York.
The Phillies blew a 7-0 lead against the Mets tonight, only to score three times in the fifth and sixth innings to earn their first win of the year against New York.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 2-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Placido Polanco went 3-5, scored once and drove in three.
Ryan Howard had another great game, going 4-4 at the plate with his second home run of the season and two RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 2-5 with an RBI.
Ben Francisco only had one hit in four at bats, but it was a solo home run that gave the Phils a 10-7 lead. He also scored twice.
Pete Orr started the game at second base and went 2-3 with two runs scored.
The bullpen was excellent tonight. Antonio Bastardo, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras pitched a combined four and two-thirds innings, allowing no runs on just two hits and a walk. Contreras picked up his first save of the season.
What went wrong?
Jimmy Rollins was 0-4.
Joe Blanton pitched well through the first three innings, but got into trouble in the fourth and fifth. He lasted just four and a third innings, allowing seven runs on ten hits. He walked two and struck out six.
Game Analysis:
One night after their first loss of the season, the Phillies needed a good bounce back win, and for four innings, it looked like they would have an easy run tonight. Joe Blanton had held the Mets to two runs, while the Phils had driven Mike Pelfrey from the game after just two innings of work and put up seven runs of their own. Then, the top of the fifth happened. Eleven Mets came to the plate in the inning, and by the time the dust had settled, the game was tied at 7-7. Fortunately for the Phillies, they scored twice in their part of the fifth and once more in the sixth before the bullpen shut down the Mets in a 10-7 win.
It wasn't the prettiest game in the world from a pitching standpoint, but you have to tip your hat to the bullpen tonight. After the innings that they had to put in last night following Cole Hamels' poor outing, the bullpen came in again tonight and did even better. Antonio Bastardo picked up his first win of the season, while J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras shut the door in the last three innings. When the starting pitching can't get the job done, it's up to the bullpen to at least keep the game close. Tonight, they did even more than that. They shut down a New York offense that has scored 13 runs against Cole Hamels and Joe Blanton. That's excellent, but not exactly what this team is going to want to have happen every night.
For three innings, Joe Blanton looked like the fourth ace of the rotation instead of Cole Hamels. He had the Mets guessing at his pitches, had excellent location with his fastball, and even drove in two runs in the bottom of the third inning with a single down the left field line. He ran into a little trouble in the fourth, giving up a two run home run to Angel Pagan, but then the wheels came off in the fifth inning. Five runs scored, all of them charged to Blanton, who only recorded a single out in the frame. That's two nights in a row that the Phillies have had their starting pitcher get shelled by the Mets. Now, the Mets have a better offense than most people think, but to not have either starting pitcher even get through the fifth inning? That's a problem right there.
Luckily the Phils had an answer for their poor starting pitching tonight, and that was their offense. After taking a game off, the Phils had their bats ready to go early and often. While Joe Blanton didn't make it out of the fifth inning, Mike Pelfrey couldn't even get through the third inning, having allowed seven runs in just two innings of work. Ryan Howard led the way again with his second home run of the season, but it was his single in the bottom of the fifth inning that had an even bigger impact.
You have to love the way that Placido Polanco plays the game of baseball, and it was clear on that Howard single in the fifth inning. Howard's infield single bounced away from pitcher Blaine Boyer. While Howard was safe at first, Polanco just kept running from second base. By the time the Mets realized what was going on and got the ball to home, Polanco had slid in safely. With that play, the Phillies had a 9-7 lead, and all the momentum that the Mets had gotten from their big top of the fifth inning was gone. Sometimes, that's all it takes.
This was a good bounce back win for the Phils tonight. They got the offense going again, and even if the starting pitching performance wasn't great, the bullpen certainly was. Tomorrow, the Phillies go for the series win against the Mets. Roy Halladay (0-0, 1.50 ERA) goes for the Phils, and Jon Niese (0-0, 2.57 ERA) will pitch for New York.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Not a good night for Philly sports
Last night was a full slate of action for Philadelphia sports fans, with the Phillies, Sixers and Flyers all playing at about the same time. However, by the time the night was over, it was one of the worst sports nights of the year as all three teams ended up taking bad looking losses. I've already posted my thoughts about the Phils, but I've got a little bit to write about the other two losing teams from last night.
For the Sixers, a loss against the Celtics isn't really unexpected, since Boston has the second best record in the Eastern Conference, but what the 17 point loss does do is move the Sixers down towards the New York Knicks in the battle for either the sixth or seventh seed in the East. The Knicks have won four in a row, and are starting to gel after the Carmelo Anthony trade, while the Sixers have dropped their last two and five of their last ten games.
Don't get me wrong, the Sixers have surprised a lot of people this year. With two more wins, they'll clinch their first winning season since the 2004-05 season, and that's something that no one thought could happen this year, especially after this team lost 55 games last season. Elton Brand is actually looking like the player the Sixers spent all that money on, and Thad Young is really stepping his game up of late. Jodie Meeks has been a very pleasant surprise, and while Evan Turner is looking a bit like a bust, when he does get extended playing time, he's not too bad. Last night was one of those situations, as Turner led the Sixers in scoring with 21 points off the bench.
The Sixers have already clinched a playoff spot, but can they win an opening round series against the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics? The popular notion is that they can't, and I'm just about to side with that, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible. They might not win their first round matchup, but they'll scare whoever the hell they end up playing. Last night's loss not withstanding, the Sixers usually play very well against the top teams in either conference. Remember, this is the same team that held the San Antonio Spurs, the best team in the NBA, to 71 points not that long ago. While the odds of them beating Boston or Miami in a seven game series are going to be very high, it should at least be fun to watch. Think of this team like the Oklahoma City Thunder from last year. The Thunder scared the hell out of the Lakers in the first round, and they're even better this year. The same thing could happen with the Sixers.
The Flyers are making me slightly more nervous, and with good reason. There seems like there have only been two outcomes for the Flyers of late, and those are to lose in regulation or lose in a shootout. Last night was more of the same, as the Flyers dropped a 5-2 game on the road to the Ottawa Senators. If just losing the game to the 14th ranked team in the East wasn't bad enough, the loss dropped the Flyers out of first place in the Eastern Conference and cut their lead in the Atlantic Division to just a single point over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers can still clinch the division with a win and a single Pittsburgh loss, but right now, this team is getting dangerously close to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, which seemed almost impossible just a month ago.
The Flyers have done little to impress lately, save for a huge 5-2 win over the Penguins in their final matchup of the season. The loss of Chris Pronger is still being felt, and the power play has been almost invisible lately. The Flyers have converted on only 16.6% of their chances throughout the season, and that number is even worse of late. The defense has been non-existant at times, and both Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky have been struggling as well. Bobrovsky has been the real question mark, losing six of his last ten starts, even though some of those haven't been his fault.
Even with the questions in goal, the Flyers have just as many issues on the offensive side of things. Yes, they have six players with 20 or more goals on the season at the moment, but that doesn't do this team a single bit of good right now. Kris Versteeg was brought in to make the offense even better, but the offense has actually gotten worse since the trade that brought him to Philadelphia. Against teams that they should beat, like Ottawa and Atlanta, the Flyers can't get going on offense. They've missed chance after chance, and with the problems on defense, those missed chances are coming back to hurt them. Whether they come in the form of a poor power play or turnovers in the offensive zone, opposing teams are now doing what the Flyers did for most of the season: they're making the Flyers pay for each mistake.
The season isn't lost though, not by any stretch. The Flyers are still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and with just two games to play in the regular season, can clinch the division with a win and a loss by Pittsburgh. The Penguins play their next game against the Islanders on Friday before closing out their season with one last game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday. The Flyers play a potential playoff opponent in the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, then finish things with a game against the Islanders on Saturday. If they manage to fall to the fourth seed, expect to see even more panic from the Philadelphia fan bases.
For the Sixers, a loss against the Celtics isn't really unexpected, since Boston has the second best record in the Eastern Conference, but what the 17 point loss does do is move the Sixers down towards the New York Knicks in the battle for either the sixth or seventh seed in the East. The Knicks have won four in a row, and are starting to gel after the Carmelo Anthony trade, while the Sixers have dropped their last two and five of their last ten games.
Don't get me wrong, the Sixers have surprised a lot of people this year. With two more wins, they'll clinch their first winning season since the 2004-05 season, and that's something that no one thought could happen this year, especially after this team lost 55 games last season. Elton Brand is actually looking like the player the Sixers spent all that money on, and Thad Young is really stepping his game up of late. Jodie Meeks has been a very pleasant surprise, and while Evan Turner is looking a bit like a bust, when he does get extended playing time, he's not too bad. Last night was one of those situations, as Turner led the Sixers in scoring with 21 points off the bench.
The Sixers have already clinched a playoff spot, but can they win an opening round series against the Miami Heat or Boston Celtics? The popular notion is that they can't, and I'm just about to side with that, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible. They might not win their first round matchup, but they'll scare whoever the hell they end up playing. Last night's loss not withstanding, the Sixers usually play very well against the top teams in either conference. Remember, this is the same team that held the San Antonio Spurs, the best team in the NBA, to 71 points not that long ago. While the odds of them beating Boston or Miami in a seven game series are going to be very high, it should at least be fun to watch. Think of this team like the Oklahoma City Thunder from last year. The Thunder scared the hell out of the Lakers in the first round, and they're even better this year. The same thing could happen with the Sixers.
The Flyers are making me slightly more nervous, and with good reason. There seems like there have only been two outcomes for the Flyers of late, and those are to lose in regulation or lose in a shootout. Last night was more of the same, as the Flyers dropped a 5-2 game on the road to the Ottawa Senators. If just losing the game to the 14th ranked team in the East wasn't bad enough, the loss dropped the Flyers out of first place in the Eastern Conference and cut their lead in the Atlantic Division to just a single point over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Flyers can still clinch the division with a win and a single Pittsburgh loss, but right now, this team is getting dangerously close to the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, which seemed almost impossible just a month ago.
The Flyers have done little to impress lately, save for a huge 5-2 win over the Penguins in their final matchup of the season. The loss of Chris Pronger is still being felt, and the power play has been almost invisible lately. The Flyers have converted on only 16.6% of their chances throughout the season, and that number is even worse of late. The defense has been non-existant at times, and both Brian Boucher and Sergei Bobrovsky have been struggling as well. Bobrovsky has been the real question mark, losing six of his last ten starts, even though some of those haven't been his fault.
Even with the questions in goal, the Flyers have just as many issues on the offensive side of things. Yes, they have six players with 20 or more goals on the season at the moment, but that doesn't do this team a single bit of good right now. Kris Versteeg was brought in to make the offense even better, but the offense has actually gotten worse since the trade that brought him to Philadelphia. Against teams that they should beat, like Ottawa and Atlanta, the Flyers can't get going on offense. They've missed chance after chance, and with the problems on defense, those missed chances are coming back to hurt them. Whether they come in the form of a poor power play or turnovers in the offensive zone, opposing teams are now doing what the Flyers did for most of the season: they're making the Flyers pay for each mistake.
The season isn't lost though, not by any stretch. The Flyers are still one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, and with just two games to play in the regular season, can clinch the division with a win and a loss by Pittsburgh. The Penguins play their next game against the Islanders on Friday before closing out their season with one last game against the Atlanta Thrashers on Sunday. The Flyers play a potential playoff opponent in the Buffalo Sabres on Friday night, then finish things with a game against the Islanders on Saturday. If they manage to fall to the fourth seed, expect to see even more panic from the Philadelphia fan bases.
Phillies Recap: Mets-7, Phillies-1
Game Recap:
Cole Hamels didn't make it out of the third inning last night, allowing six runs as the Mets handed the Phillies their first loss of the season.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 1-4 with an RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 2-4.
Kyle Kendrick pitched well in long relief, giving up just two hits and no runs in two and a third innings of work. He walked one and struck out one.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-5.
Ryan Howard went 0-4 with three strikeouts.
Carlos Ruiz was 0-3.
Cole Hamels had a rough outing for his first start of the year. He allowed six runs on seven hits in two and two-thirds innings. He walked two, struck out three and allowed three stolen bases.
David Herndon continued to make me wonder why he's on the team, allowing a run on two hits in an inning of work.
The Phillies struck out nine times as a team and left nine men on base.
Game Analysis:
Everyone knew that the Phillies would lose a game this season eventually, but no one wanted it to be against the Mets, especially in the fashion that last night's game was played. Cole Hamels didn't make it through three innings, and the offense looked lifeless against Chris Young as the Phils dropped their first game of the year.
Really, the issues with this game begin and end with Cole Hamels. Hamels didn't have his best stuff from the start, putting runners on first and second with no outs in the first inning. He got out of that jam and then worked a 1-2-3 second inning before the roof caved in during the third. The first four batters that came to the plate reached base, including pitcher Chris Young, and by the time the second out had been recorded, five runs had scored. Young actually came up twice in the inning, and his second single of the frame drove in the sixth run and ended the night for Hamels. Kyle Kendrick and rest of the bullpen helped stop the bleeding, but it was too late.
It's only one start, but it was a rough night for Cole Hamels. He's shown in the past that he can have some trouble bouncing back from rough starts, but he didn't look too upset after last night, which is actually a good thing. A starting pitcher can not get too upset over just one bad start, especially in April. Every pitcher will get hit around at least three or four times during the season, so maybe it's a good thing that Cole already got one of those games out of his system.
Of course, the offense didn't give Hamels much support, either. Chris Young didn't go six innings, but he struck out seven and only allowed one run while he was in the game. Young has had injury problems in the past, but when he's healthy, he can be a solid number two pitcher or potential ace for any team. Last night showed what he can do. Ryan Howard was useless, striking out three times in his first 0-the game of the season, and Shane Victorino wasn't much better, adding three strikeouts of his own. The entire offense just looked off, and while this was just one game, they need to bounce back tonight against New York. The Phillies can't let the Mets get into their heads with a second straight win in Philadelphia.
The Phillies will be looking for a bounce back win tonight against the Mets. Joe Blanton makes his first start of the year, while Mike Pelfrey (0-1, 10.38 ERA) is starting for the second time for the Mets.
Cole Hamels didn't make it out of the third inning last night, allowing six runs as the Mets handed the Phillies their first loss of the season.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 1-4 with an RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 2-4.
Kyle Kendrick pitched well in long relief, giving up just two hits and no runs in two and a third innings of work. He walked one and struck out one.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-5.
Ryan Howard went 0-4 with three strikeouts.
Carlos Ruiz was 0-3.
Cole Hamels had a rough outing for his first start of the year. He allowed six runs on seven hits in two and two-thirds innings. He walked two, struck out three and allowed three stolen bases.
David Herndon continued to make me wonder why he's on the team, allowing a run on two hits in an inning of work.
The Phillies struck out nine times as a team and left nine men on base.
Game Analysis:
Everyone knew that the Phillies would lose a game this season eventually, but no one wanted it to be against the Mets, especially in the fashion that last night's game was played. Cole Hamels didn't make it through three innings, and the offense looked lifeless against Chris Young as the Phils dropped their first game of the year.
Really, the issues with this game begin and end with Cole Hamels. Hamels didn't have his best stuff from the start, putting runners on first and second with no outs in the first inning. He got out of that jam and then worked a 1-2-3 second inning before the roof caved in during the third. The first four batters that came to the plate reached base, including pitcher Chris Young, and by the time the second out had been recorded, five runs had scored. Young actually came up twice in the inning, and his second single of the frame drove in the sixth run and ended the night for Hamels. Kyle Kendrick and rest of the bullpen helped stop the bleeding, but it was too late.
It's only one start, but it was a rough night for Cole Hamels. He's shown in the past that he can have some trouble bouncing back from rough starts, but he didn't look too upset after last night, which is actually a good thing. A starting pitcher can not get too upset over just one bad start, especially in April. Every pitcher will get hit around at least three or four times during the season, so maybe it's a good thing that Cole already got one of those games out of his system.
Of course, the offense didn't give Hamels much support, either. Chris Young didn't go six innings, but he struck out seven and only allowed one run while he was in the game. Young has had injury problems in the past, but when he's healthy, he can be a solid number two pitcher or potential ace for any team. Last night showed what he can do. Ryan Howard was useless, striking out three times in his first 0-the game of the season, and Shane Victorino wasn't much better, adding three strikeouts of his own. The entire offense just looked off, and while this was just one game, they need to bounce back tonight against New York. The Phillies can't let the Mets get into their heads with a second straight win in Philadelphia.
The Phillies will be looking for a bounce back win tonight against the Mets. Joe Blanton makes his first start of the year, while Mike Pelfrey (0-1, 10.38 ERA) is starting for the second time for the Mets.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Phillies Recap: Phillies-7, Astros-3
Game Recap:
The Phillies got home runs from Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco in the first inning and never looked back. Roy Oswalt pitched six innings of two run baseball as the Phils picked up their first Opening Weekend sweep at home since 1899.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 2-4 with two runs scored.
Jimmy Rollins was 2-3 with two walks and a run scored.
Ryan Howard finished a triple short of the cycle, going 3-5 with four RBI.
Ben Francisco went 3-5 with a home run and two runs scored.
Michael Martinez made his Major League debut and went 1-4 with an RBI.
Roy Oswalt picked up his first win against his old team, going six innings while allowing two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out six.
David Herndon pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
What went wrong?
Raul Ibanez was 0-4.
Kyle Kendrick pitched the ninth inning and gave the fans a little scare, allowing a run on a hit and a walk before getting out of the inning and ending the game.
Game Analysis:
You really couldn't have asked for a better start to the season for the Phillies. Despite having one of, if not the, best pitching staff in baseball, there were more than enough questions about the offense coming into Opening Day. Those questions were answered in the ninth inning of the first game, and the offense just kept hitting over the next two games, outscoring the Astros by nine runs on Saturday and Sunday.
The one thing that the Phils didn't do before yesterday's game was hit a home run, and it didn't take long for that little run to end. Ryan Howard was swinging on a 3-0 count, and took a high fastball into the bullpen for the first home run of the season. Howard just missed a second home run in the third inning when he got a green light on another 3-0 count, but he still scored Placido Polanco on the double. Ben Francisco followed Howard's first at bat with a home run of his own, and that would be all the runs the Phils would need yesterday. They would add three more, but the damage against Bud Norris had already been done.
The way that the offense played in this series against Houston is how they are going to need to play this entire season. For the second straight day, a Houston pitcher didn't make it through five innings, and despite batting one less time than the Astros, the Phillies saw over 30 more pitches while they were at the plate. Jimmy Rollins himself saw 27 pitches. Considering how often he swung at the first pitch last season, just having him do that in one game is amazing. Rollins is turning those pitches into productive at bats as well. He might not have a home run or RBI so far this season, but Rollins is batting .500 after three games, with four runs scored, two walks and a stolen base. Meanwhile, Placido Polanco has crossed the plate five times already and has walked twice as well. Those two need to keep up their production so that Ryan Howard actually has pitches to swing at when he comes to bat.
Speaking of Howard, he might be off to one of the fastest starts of his career. In the three games against Houston, Howard picked up seven hits in 13 at bats, had his home run on Sunday and drove in six runs. That's the kind of production that's expected out of your cleanup hitter, and that's what Howard did against the Astros. It's only three games, but this offense looks a lot better than just about anyone thought it would. As long as those 2-3-4 hitters keep producing, the rest of the lineup will have less work to do and more chances to drive in runs, and that's the way that it should be.
After watching Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pitch well in their first starts of the season, Roy Oswalt must have felt like he had his work cut out for him, but the third member of the Four Horsemen (yes, that's what I'm calling them) didn't miss a beat. Oswalt was just as dominant as Halladay and Lee were, and looked very comfortable out on the mound against his old team. For the series, the three starters pitched 19 out of 27 innings, allowed six runs and struck out 23 while walking just one. Those aren't good numbers, those are great numbers, and it shows what this pitching staff is cabable of, and it's only the first week of the season. As long as everyone stays healthy, this is going to be the best pitching staff that the Phillies have ever had.
Could things have gone even better this weekend? Of course, but I'm not sure how. Maybe if one of the three pitchers had thrown a perfect game or no-hitter, but that's about it. The Phils did everything that they needed to do, including starting the season with a walk off win, and they picked up a sweep to start the year. That's how things should go, and if it's an indication of the rest of the season, then this is going to be one fun year.
Tomorrow, the Phillies welcome the New York Mets into town for the first time this season. Cole Hamels makes his first appearance of the season, and Chris Young does the same for the Mets.
The Phillies got home runs from Ryan Howard and Ben Francisco in the first inning and never looked back. Roy Oswalt pitched six innings of two run baseball as the Phils picked up their first Opening Weekend sweep at home since 1899.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 2-4 with two runs scored.
Jimmy Rollins was 2-3 with two walks and a run scored.
Ryan Howard finished a triple short of the cycle, going 3-5 with four RBI.
Ben Francisco went 3-5 with a home run and two runs scored.
Michael Martinez made his Major League debut and went 1-4 with an RBI.
Roy Oswalt picked up his first win against his old team, going six innings while allowing two runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out six.
David Herndon pitched two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit.
What went wrong?
Raul Ibanez was 0-4.
Kyle Kendrick pitched the ninth inning and gave the fans a little scare, allowing a run on a hit and a walk before getting out of the inning and ending the game.
Game Analysis:
You really couldn't have asked for a better start to the season for the Phillies. Despite having one of, if not the, best pitching staff in baseball, there were more than enough questions about the offense coming into Opening Day. Those questions were answered in the ninth inning of the first game, and the offense just kept hitting over the next two games, outscoring the Astros by nine runs on Saturday and Sunday.
The one thing that the Phils didn't do before yesterday's game was hit a home run, and it didn't take long for that little run to end. Ryan Howard was swinging on a 3-0 count, and took a high fastball into the bullpen for the first home run of the season. Howard just missed a second home run in the third inning when he got a green light on another 3-0 count, but he still scored Placido Polanco on the double. Ben Francisco followed Howard's first at bat with a home run of his own, and that would be all the runs the Phils would need yesterday. They would add three more, but the damage against Bud Norris had already been done.
The way that the offense played in this series against Houston is how they are going to need to play this entire season. For the second straight day, a Houston pitcher didn't make it through five innings, and despite batting one less time than the Astros, the Phillies saw over 30 more pitches while they were at the plate. Jimmy Rollins himself saw 27 pitches. Considering how often he swung at the first pitch last season, just having him do that in one game is amazing. Rollins is turning those pitches into productive at bats as well. He might not have a home run or RBI so far this season, but Rollins is batting .500 after three games, with four runs scored, two walks and a stolen base. Meanwhile, Placido Polanco has crossed the plate five times already and has walked twice as well. Those two need to keep up their production so that Ryan Howard actually has pitches to swing at when he comes to bat.
Speaking of Howard, he might be off to one of the fastest starts of his career. In the three games against Houston, Howard picked up seven hits in 13 at bats, had his home run on Sunday and drove in six runs. That's the kind of production that's expected out of your cleanup hitter, and that's what Howard did against the Astros. It's only three games, but this offense looks a lot better than just about anyone thought it would. As long as those 2-3-4 hitters keep producing, the rest of the lineup will have less work to do and more chances to drive in runs, and that's the way that it should be.
After watching Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee pitch well in their first starts of the season, Roy Oswalt must have felt like he had his work cut out for him, but the third member of the Four Horsemen (yes, that's what I'm calling them) didn't miss a beat. Oswalt was just as dominant as Halladay and Lee were, and looked very comfortable out on the mound against his old team. For the series, the three starters pitched 19 out of 27 innings, allowed six runs and struck out 23 while walking just one. Those aren't good numbers, those are great numbers, and it shows what this pitching staff is cabable of, and it's only the first week of the season. As long as everyone stays healthy, this is going to be the best pitching staff that the Phillies have ever had.
Could things have gone even better this weekend? Of course, but I'm not sure how. Maybe if one of the three pitchers had thrown a perfect game or no-hitter, but that's about it. The Phils did everything that they needed to do, including starting the season with a walk off win, and they picked up a sweep to start the year. That's how things should go, and if it's an indication of the rest of the season, then this is going to be one fun year.
Tomorrow, the Phillies welcome the New York Mets into town for the first time this season. Cole Hamels makes his first appearance of the season, and Chris Young does the same for the Mets.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Phillies Recap: Phillies-9, Astros-4
Game Recap:
Cliff Lee struck out 11 in seven innings in his first game back with the Phillies, and the offense pounded Houston for nine runs as the Phils won their second game of the season.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was 1-3 with two RBI before leaving the game.
Placido Polanco went 3-5 and scored twice.
Jimmy Rollins was 2-5 with a run scored.
Ryan Howard was 2-5, drove in a run and scored once.
Ben Francisco went 2-5 as well, driving in two.
Raul Ibanez had a great game, going 2-3 with two walks, two RBI and three runs scored.
Carlos Ruiz went 1-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Wilson Valdez was 1-4 with an RBI.
Cliff Lee made his return to Philadelphia and looked great doing it, pitching seven innings while allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out 11 and didn't walk a batter.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino had to leave the game in the fifth inning with a sore left calf.
Ben Francisco almost killed Victorino trying to dive for a ball in the fourth inning that allowed a run to score.
That's it.
Game Analysis:
What could top a walk off win on Opening Day? How about a great pitching performance by the returning Cliff Lee and an offensive showing that was even better than it looked. That's what the Phillies did yesterday night against the Houston Astros in a 9-4 win.
There was no way that Cliff Lee was going to do anything but win last night. You could see it in his eyes from the moment he stepped onto the mound and got one of the loudest early season ovations that I have ever heard. Striking out two of the first three batters he faced was just icing on the cake. His first inning set the tone for the rest of the night, and while Carlos Lee had his number, the rest of the Astros couldn't figure out how to get on base against Cliff Lee.
Lee kept Houston's bats guessing all night long, and it looked like he never missed a beat from the last time he pitched with the Phils. Everything looked sharp, his control was even better than it was in his last go around in Philadelphia, and once the Phillies gave him the lead, there was no looking back. Yes, the bullpen tried to make things a little more interesting in the eighth and ninth innings, but Danys Baez and Jose Contreras got the job done and finished things off for the Phillies on the mound. So far, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee have done what they are supposed to do for this team, but last night, I was even more impressed with the offense.
For the Phillies to score nine runs is nothing new. However, when they can do it without hitting a single home run, then it's something to look at. Whatever the Phils found at the plate in the ninth inning on Friday carried over to yesterday night, as they jumped on Wandy Rodriguez early and often. Rodriguez only lasted four innings and gave up seven runs on nine hits. He did strike out five, but the Phillies were seeing the ball well against him and getting clutch hits. That's something that was missing from this team last year. The clutch, timely hits weren't there when the Phils needed them, but they have been there so far this year. It's only been two games, so the sample size is a little small, but the fact of the matter is that the Phillies have scored 14 runs in two games without the benefit of a home run. No matter how you look at it, that's playing some smallball right there. It's not what this team is known for, but they have to be able to get those hits when they need to.
There's still another 160 games to go this year, but so far, everything looks good for the Phillies, even without Chase Utley and Domonic Brown. The pitching has been solid, and with Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and yes, Joe Blanton, still to come, it's not going to get any easier for opposing teams.
Roy Oswalt makes his first start of the year today. Houston will send out Bud Norris.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Astros-4
Game Recap:
Roy Halladay struck out six in six innings of work, but it took six hits and three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Phillies to get their Opening Day win. John Mayberry Jr. had the game winning single for his first ever Opening Day hit.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 2-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.
Ryan Howard was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Ben Francisco was 1-3 in his first Opening Day start with the Phillies, driving in a run and scoring the game winning run.
Wilson Valdez went 2-4 and drove in a run.
John Mayberry Jr. had the game winning hit with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning off of Brandon Lyon.
Roy Halladay made his second straight Opening Day start, pitching six innings and allowing one run on five hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out six.
Ryan Madson and Danys Baez worked scoreless eighth and ninth innings, with Baez getting the first win of the year.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-3.
Raul Ibanez drove in a run in the seventh inning with a ground out, but was 0-4 in the game, and recorded the only out of the ninth inning.
You see all of those things that went right? Most of them didn't come until the ninth inning. The Phils got six of their ten hits in the ninth. Brett Myers needed only 85 pitches to get through seven innings.
J.C. Romero and David Herndon looked a bit too much like their 2010 models, with Romero allowing a run without recording an out, and Herndon giving up two runs on two hits in the seventh inning.
Game Analysis:
It wasn't nearly as pretty as last year's 11-1 blowout win over Washington on Opening Day, but the Phillies did what they had to do in the bottom of the ninth inning to take care of the Houston Astros and start their 2011 season with a win. Roy Halladay pitched six innings of one run baseball, but it came down to some clutch hitting when it mattered the most, and that's how the Phillies ended up with a win today.
Halladay pitched well in his second straight Opening Day start, but he got no run support in his six innings of work. Honestly, save for the run that he gave up, Halladay looked in midseason form already. He struck out five of the first eight batters he faced, and Brett Myers had two of the five hits that he allowed. You can't argue with those results, especially in the first game of the season. Pitchers are almost always ahead of hitters at this time of the year, but Halladay looked just like the same guy that won the Cy Young Award last season. He didn't pick up the win, but he pitched like he should have. That's what matters. He's going to be just fine this year.
However, once Halladay left the game, the bullpen ran into some issues. Both J.C. Romero and David Herndon pitched the seventh inning, and by the time three outs had been recorded, three runs had crossed the plate. Romero gave up a hit to the only batter he faced, and he came around to score. Meanwhile, Herndon gave up two more runs on two hits and a sacrifice fly. That's not the kind of results that the Phillies need to see out of their seventh inning pitchers. Despite whatever you want to believe about the pitching staff this season, the Phillies still need their seventh inning pitchers to record three outs. They need to be able to set the table for Ryan Madson and whoever the closer is going to be this year. It's that simple. Today, it hurt the Phils, and if not for a great comeback in the ninth inning, would have cost them the game.
The offense today had its good and bad moments. Against Brett Myers, the Phils were ok at the plate, walking three times, but Myers only needed 85 pitches to get through seven innings. That's only a little over 12 an inning. At least for me, a team should make a starting pitcher throw at least 20 pitches an inning. That puts them at the 100 pitch mark by the end of the fifth inning, and gets a team into the middle relief part of the bullpen, which is normally the weak point of any pitching staff. Today, the Phils didn't do that. They weren't that patient against Myers, even though he didn't have a swinging strike against him for almost the entire game. The Phils were swinging early and often at his pitches, and it can't be that way throughout the entire season. This team has to be more patient at the plate this year. That's what did them in last year, and it could do the same thing this year. I don't care who you have pitching for you. If you swing at the first or second pitch every time up, you will lose.
The good moments today were based around how the Phillies scored their runs. Today, there were no home runs, no long doubles into the gap or anything like that. To score their runs today, the Phillies did something they haven't done in quite some time: they played small ball. Their first two runs of the season came on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Howard and an RBI ground out from Raul Ibanez, and then in the ninth inning, the Phillies strung together six hits, all of them singles. Jimmy Rollins reached base twice, and scored twice. That's the way it should be for a player like Jimmy. Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez and Johh Mayberry Jr. all had RBI in the ninth. When you look at the Phillies, those aren't the players that you expect to come up with game winning hits, but they did today. It's just the first game of the season, but it's a good sign. It's certainly what this team is going to need this year to make it to the playoffs and win their fifth straight National League East Championship. With all of that being said, this is just the first game out of 162 that will be played this season.
There will be more walk-off wins and walk-off losses for this team. The pitching staff will have great games and bad games. The offense will drive in ten runs one day and none the next. Do you know why? That's how baseball works, that's why. A lot of people like to say that every baseball team will win 60 games and lose 60 games during their season. It's the other 42 that will make the difference. Time is going to tell whether today was just another win, or one of those 42, but one thing is certain: that was a good way to start the season.
Tomorrow, the Phillies trot out Cliff Lee for his first start of the year. Houston is countering with Wandy Rodriguez.
Roy Halladay struck out six in six innings of work, but it took six hits and three runs in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Phillies to get their Opening Day win. John Mayberry Jr. had the game winning single for his first ever Opening Day hit.
What went right?
Jimmy Rollins went 2-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.
Ryan Howard was 2-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
Ben Francisco was 1-3 in his first Opening Day start with the Phillies, driving in a run and scoring the game winning run.
Wilson Valdez went 2-4 and drove in a run.
John Mayberry Jr. had the game winning hit with a single in the bottom of the ninth inning off of Brandon Lyon.
Roy Halladay made his second straight Opening Day start, pitching six innings and allowing one run on five hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out six.
Ryan Madson and Danys Baez worked scoreless eighth and ninth innings, with Baez getting the first win of the year.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-3.
Raul Ibanez drove in a run in the seventh inning with a ground out, but was 0-4 in the game, and recorded the only out of the ninth inning.
You see all of those things that went right? Most of them didn't come until the ninth inning. The Phils got six of their ten hits in the ninth. Brett Myers needed only 85 pitches to get through seven innings.
J.C. Romero and David Herndon looked a bit too much like their 2010 models, with Romero allowing a run without recording an out, and Herndon giving up two runs on two hits in the seventh inning.
Game Analysis:
It wasn't nearly as pretty as last year's 11-1 blowout win over Washington on Opening Day, but the Phillies did what they had to do in the bottom of the ninth inning to take care of the Houston Astros and start their 2011 season with a win. Roy Halladay pitched six innings of one run baseball, but it came down to some clutch hitting when it mattered the most, and that's how the Phillies ended up with a win today.
Halladay pitched well in his second straight Opening Day start, but he got no run support in his six innings of work. Honestly, save for the run that he gave up, Halladay looked in midseason form already. He struck out five of the first eight batters he faced, and Brett Myers had two of the five hits that he allowed. You can't argue with those results, especially in the first game of the season. Pitchers are almost always ahead of hitters at this time of the year, but Halladay looked just like the same guy that won the Cy Young Award last season. He didn't pick up the win, but he pitched like he should have. That's what matters. He's going to be just fine this year.
However, once Halladay left the game, the bullpen ran into some issues. Both J.C. Romero and David Herndon pitched the seventh inning, and by the time three outs had been recorded, three runs had crossed the plate. Romero gave up a hit to the only batter he faced, and he came around to score. Meanwhile, Herndon gave up two more runs on two hits and a sacrifice fly. That's not the kind of results that the Phillies need to see out of their seventh inning pitchers. Despite whatever you want to believe about the pitching staff this season, the Phillies still need their seventh inning pitchers to record three outs. They need to be able to set the table for Ryan Madson and whoever the closer is going to be this year. It's that simple. Today, it hurt the Phils, and if not for a great comeback in the ninth inning, would have cost them the game.
The offense today had its good and bad moments. Against Brett Myers, the Phils were ok at the plate, walking three times, but Myers only needed 85 pitches to get through seven innings. That's only a little over 12 an inning. At least for me, a team should make a starting pitcher throw at least 20 pitches an inning. That puts them at the 100 pitch mark by the end of the fifth inning, and gets a team into the middle relief part of the bullpen, which is normally the weak point of any pitching staff. Today, the Phils didn't do that. They weren't that patient against Myers, even though he didn't have a swinging strike against him for almost the entire game. The Phils were swinging early and often at his pitches, and it can't be that way throughout the entire season. This team has to be more patient at the plate this year. That's what did them in last year, and it could do the same thing this year. I don't care who you have pitching for you. If you swing at the first or second pitch every time up, you will lose.
The good moments today were based around how the Phillies scored their runs. Today, there were no home runs, no long doubles into the gap or anything like that. To score their runs today, the Phillies did something they haven't done in quite some time: they played small ball. Their first two runs of the season came on a sacrifice fly by Ryan Howard and an RBI ground out from Raul Ibanez, and then in the ninth inning, the Phillies strung together six hits, all of them singles. Jimmy Rollins reached base twice, and scored twice. That's the way it should be for a player like Jimmy. Ben Francisco, Wilson Valdez and Johh Mayberry Jr. all had RBI in the ninth. When you look at the Phillies, those aren't the players that you expect to come up with game winning hits, but they did today. It's just the first game of the season, but it's a good sign. It's certainly what this team is going to need this year to make it to the playoffs and win their fifth straight National League East Championship. With all of that being said, this is just the first game out of 162 that will be played this season.
There will be more walk-off wins and walk-off losses for this team. The pitching staff will have great games and bad games. The offense will drive in ten runs one day and none the next. Do you know why? That's how baseball works, that's why. A lot of people like to say that every baseball team will win 60 games and lose 60 games during their season. It's the other 42 that will make the difference. Time is going to tell whether today was just another win, or one of those 42, but one thing is certain: that was a good way to start the season.
Tomorrow, the Phillies trot out Cliff Lee for his first start of the year. Houston is countering with Wandy Rodriguez.
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