Game Recap:
Joe Blanton pitched ok, but errors by Ross Gload and Ryan Howard cost him as the Phillies were knocked out of first place by the Atlanta Braves.
What went right?
Raul Ibanez went 1-3 with a run scored.
Carlos Ruiz went 1-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Ben Francisco was 1-2 with an RBI.
Brad Lidge made his return from the disabled list, pitching a scoreless eighth inning while striking out one.
What went wrong?
Ross Gload batted leadoff for some reason, and went 0-3. He also had an error in the first inning that allowed another Atlanta run to score.
Ryan Howard was 0-4 and had a big error of his own that led to three runs in the third inning.
Joe Blanton pitched ok, but that wasn't enough to get the win. He allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out two.
Antonio Bastardo and Chad Durbin had their problems in the seventh inning, allowing three runs between the two of them on three hits.
Game Analysis:
Everything seemed like it was going great for the Phillies about two weeks ago, didn't it? The Phils had just come off of a 12-2 beatdown of the Pittsburgh Pirates and were 11 games over .500. They had their biggest lead of the season in the National League East, and Jimmy Rollins had just come off of the disabled list and looked just as good as he did at the start of the season. Now, the Phils have been shut out in five of their last nine games, and save for Roy Halladay's perfect game, nothing has gone right.
Today was another one of those games for the Phillies, as the Atlanta Braves passed them for first place in the National League East. It wasn't as if Joe Blanton pitched a great game, but he pitched well enough to win. It was the little things that cost the Phillies today. Errors by Ross Gload and Ryan Howard did in the Phils, and their offense showed little signs of life once again.
Blanton should have been able to get out of the first inning having just allowed a Chipper Jones home run, but Gload's error in right field allowed Troy Glaus to reach second, and Eric Hinske drove him in for an unearned run. In the third inning, Blanton retired Jones, but allowed the next two batters to reach, only to have Hinske ground a gimme double play ball to Ryan Howard. The only problem was that Howard booted the ball, which allowed Brian McCann to score and the inning to continue. Yunel Escobar singled home Hinske and Troy Glaus, and just like that, an error turned a 3-0 game into a 6-0 game, and that would be all the Braves would need today.
The offense was sluggish again today, and I'm running out of ways to talk about how bad it is right now for the Phillies at the plate. Tommy Hanson didn't have his best stuff on the mound for Atlanta today, but the Phils got themselves out of scoring situations in the first two innings with double plays from Ryan Howard and Wilson Valdez. It was typical of the way the Phillies have been at the plate lately. It's not that they're having trouble getting on base, but they're having trouble hitting once they get men on base, and that's what's doing them in. Hanson was off early today, and he walked more batters than he struck out, but the Phillies just couldn't get that big base hit until the seventh inning, and by then, it was 6-0 Atlanta. The Braves finished things off with a three run blast from Troy Glaus in the bottom of the seventh, and that was all she wrote today.
Now, the Phillies find themselves in second place for the first time in a month, and it feels a lot less fun than it did back then. This 4-9 stretch that they are on has come at a very bad time, and nothing seems to be clicking right now. Aside from Roy Halladay's perfect game, the Phillies have done very little against quality opponents, and that's a little disheartening, especially considering the Phils have won the National League the last two years. This team is still one of the best in the National League, but they're certainly not playing like it right now. Things have got to turn around, and fast. This schedule's not getting any easier.
Tomorrow, Cole Hamels (5-3, 3.82 ERA) looks for his sixth win of the season. Tim Hudson (5-1, 2.24 ERA) will be pitching for the Braves.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Phillies Recap: Marlins-1, Phillies-0
Game Recap:
The Phillies were shut out for the fourth time this week, wasting another solid effort from Jamie Moyer as they lost to Anibal Sanchez and the Marlins.
What went right?
Nothing on offense.
Jamie Moyer got hit with his fifth loss of the season, but this wasn't his fault. He allowed one run in six innings on four hits. He walked two and struck out two.
What went wrong?
Wilson Valdez was 0-3.
Jayson Werth went 0-4 with four strikeouts.
Ben Francisco was 0-4.
Juan Castro was 0-4.
Game Analysis:
Well, that afterglow didn't take long. Less than 24 hours after Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game for the Phillies, they respond by being shutout once again, this time by Anibal Sanchez and the Florida bullpen. That makes four times in the last seven games that the Phillies have been able to score a run, and it's starting to raise some serious concerns about their offense at the moment.
Make no mistake about it, this is a team that's struggling at the plate right now. Even last night, while Halladay was making history, the Phils only managed a single unearned run to back him up. While every team goes through slumps during a season, this is a team-wide slump that's hitting everyone. Jayson Werth might be the worst offender of all, as he's stuck in an 0-19 slump that's dropped his batting average down to .295 on the season. It can't all be that Jimmy Rollins is hurt again, because this team just isn't about Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez all hit 30 home runs last season, so this team knows how to score. It's just that right now, they're not doing it, and this act is starting to get old.
The worst part about the scoring drought is that the Phillies are wasting solid efforts from their starting pitchers. Today, Jamie Moyer allowed just one run in six innings, but ended up with a loss. In his last three starts, Moyer has allowed seven runs, and has been given exactly a single run of support back for his efforts. Regardless to say, Moyer has gotten the loss in each of his last three games, which is a shame for someone like him, as he could be at the top of the National League in wins if this offense could get their act together sometime soon. It's been said several times in this blog, but Moyer doesn't have that many great starts left in him, so to even waste a solid one like the outing today is just a bad, bad thing. I mean, I can expect the Phillies to be shut out a few times during a season, that just happens in baseball. However, four shutouts in seven games? That's going a little too far, especially for a team that has one of the best offenses in baseball.
For the week, the Phillies scored seven runs. That's it. Hopefully, a new week can bring a few runs with it. That would be nice.
Tomorrow afternoon, Joe Blanton (1-3, 5.63 ERA) tries for his second win of the season as he faces off against Atlanta and Tommy Hanson (4-3, 4.06 ERA).
The Phillies were shut out for the fourth time this week, wasting another solid effort from Jamie Moyer as they lost to Anibal Sanchez and the Marlins.
What went right?
Nothing on offense.
Jamie Moyer got hit with his fifth loss of the season, but this wasn't his fault. He allowed one run in six innings on four hits. He walked two and struck out two.
What went wrong?
Wilson Valdez was 0-3.
Jayson Werth went 0-4 with four strikeouts.
Ben Francisco was 0-4.
Juan Castro was 0-4.
Game Analysis:
Well, that afterglow didn't take long. Less than 24 hours after Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game for the Phillies, they respond by being shutout once again, this time by Anibal Sanchez and the Florida bullpen. That makes four times in the last seven games that the Phillies have been able to score a run, and it's starting to raise some serious concerns about their offense at the moment.
Make no mistake about it, this is a team that's struggling at the plate right now. Even last night, while Halladay was making history, the Phils only managed a single unearned run to back him up. While every team goes through slumps during a season, this is a team-wide slump that's hitting everyone. Jayson Werth might be the worst offender of all, as he's stuck in an 0-19 slump that's dropped his batting average down to .295 on the season. It can't all be that Jimmy Rollins is hurt again, because this team just isn't about Jimmy Rollins. Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez all hit 30 home runs last season, so this team knows how to score. It's just that right now, they're not doing it, and this act is starting to get old.
The worst part about the scoring drought is that the Phillies are wasting solid efforts from their starting pitchers. Today, Jamie Moyer allowed just one run in six innings, but ended up with a loss. In his last three starts, Moyer has allowed seven runs, and has been given exactly a single run of support back for his efforts. Regardless to say, Moyer has gotten the loss in each of his last three games, which is a shame for someone like him, as he could be at the top of the National League in wins if this offense could get their act together sometime soon. It's been said several times in this blog, but Moyer doesn't have that many great starts left in him, so to even waste a solid one like the outing today is just a bad, bad thing. I mean, I can expect the Phillies to be shut out a few times during a season, that just happens in baseball. However, four shutouts in seven games? That's going a little too far, especially for a team that has one of the best offenses in baseball.
For the week, the Phillies scored seven runs. That's it. Hopefully, a new week can bring a few runs with it. That would be nice.
Tomorrow afternoon, Joe Blanton (1-3, 5.63 ERA) tries for his second win of the season as he faces off against Atlanta and Tommy Hanson (4-3, 4.06 ERA).
Phillie of the Week: May 23-29
Though this week for the Phillies certainly could have gone better, there was one performance that stood out. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you need to get out of the cave that you're living in, because history was made in South Florida last night. It shouldn't take much to realize who gets the nod this time around. This week's Phillie of the Week is:
Roy Halladay
Even though the Doc got pegged with a loss against Boston to start the week off, he bounced back with an extra day of rest and pitched against Florida last night. How did he do? Well, he only threw the 20th perfect game in baseball history. This past week, Halladay went 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA, but all of that came in the game against the Red Sox. No one will remember that, but everyone will remember the perfect game and Halladay's brush with baseball immortality.
Roy Halladay
Even though the Doc got pegged with a loss against Boston to start the week off, he bounced back with an extra day of rest and pitched against Florida last night. How did he do? Well, he only threw the 20th perfect game in baseball history. This past week, Halladay went 1-1 with a 3.68 ERA, but all of that came in the game against the Red Sox. No one will remember that, but everyone will remember the perfect game and Halladay's brush with baseball immortality.
It was a fun game, but it had the wrong result: Flyers drop Game 1
If you had said before the start of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals that the Flyers would score five goals, and keep Chicago's top line from registering a single point, I would have told you that a victory was at hand. Instead, the Flyers allowed six goals, looked slow at times on defense and pulled Michael Leighton in the second period as they dropped the first game of the series against Chicago.
There's nothing bad that can be said about the way the offense played last night, save for the fact that Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Claude Giroux didn't notch a point between the three of them. Danny Briere continued his excellent play with a goal and three assists, Scott Hartnell had a goal and two assists and even Arron Asham picked up a goal and an assist. It was that kind of night for the Orange and Black in the Chicago end as they peppered Antti Niemi in the early going, hitting him with the type of pressure that he hadn't seen yet in the playoffs. It was the first time during the playoffs that Niemi had allowed more that four goals in a game, and he did that in the first two periods. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, he stopped the Flyers in the third and kept them from doing any more damage. Regardless, the offense did it's job.
Where the Flyers were sloppy last night was both on defense and in the net. For the first time in the playoffs, Michael Leighton looked like a backup goalie and was struggling on the ice. Maybe it was the nerves of playing in his first Stanley Cup Final game, but he didn't look like the same goalie that helped get the Flyers past Boston and Montreal in the Eastern Conference Finals. In those two series, Leighton was excellent at keeping rebounds controlled, but last night, he couldn't do that. Chicago played a physical game in front of the net, and Leighton couldn't pick up the trash when he needed to, which led to a few easy goals for the Blackhawks.
Of course, the defense needed to help out there as well, and they couldn't do much right at all last night. They couldn't pick up the trash in front of the net either, and there were a few times where any defender for the Flyers not named Chris Pronger just looked slow against the Chicago attack. Some bad puckhandling and slow pursuit on a power play in the first period ended up as a shorthanded goal for Chicago, and when the Flyers needed to make stops on defense to keep Leighton from getting in trouble, they couldn't do it. Eventually, Leighton was pulled after giving up five goals in 20 shots, and Brian Boucher made his first appearance since Game 5 against Boston.
Now, Boucher didn't necessarily look much better than Leighton did, but he also faced less pressure. In his 24 minutes in net, Boucher faced 12 shots, while Leighton faced 20 in 35 minutes. There shouldn't be a goalie controversy now, and there's not. Head coach Peter Laviolette stated today that Leighton is going to start in Game 2 for the Flyers, and that's the right move. Leighton got some bad breaks last night, and the goal that Boucher allowed was softer than any of the five that Leighton had go past him. It wasn't a good performance last night by either of the goalies, but that's why hockey has a best of seven format. One bad game isn't going to kill your chances, but two or three certainly don't help.
The Flyers did prove a lot last night. They showed that, for the most part, they can keep up with how the Blackhawks play. Though there were some lapses in defense for both teams, the Flyers hung tough with a team that a lot of people said would blow them out of the United Center in the first two games. They also played phsyical with Chicago, which is something that no Western Conference team was able to do in the first three rounds of the playoffs. By keeping Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien and Jonathan Toews from scoring, the Flyers sent a message that the Blackhawks are going to need other people to score to win this series. That's what Chicago got last night, but over an entire seven game series, I don't know if they can keep that performance up. Scoring six goals doesn't happen every night, and while the Blackhawks looked great last night, the Flyers matched their speed and performance on the ice for most of the night. Being down in the Stanley Cup Finals is never fun, but the Flyers have already come back from an 0-3 hole in these playoffs, so being down one game isn't a big problem. Hopefully, they can take Game 2 and even the series as it heads back to Philadelphia.
Game 2 is tomorrow night, so get your BBQing and such out of the way early so you can watch the game.
There's nothing bad that can be said about the way the offense played last night, save for the fact that Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne and Claude Giroux didn't notch a point between the three of them. Danny Briere continued his excellent play with a goal and three assists, Scott Hartnell had a goal and two assists and even Arron Asham picked up a goal and an assist. It was that kind of night for the Orange and Black in the Chicago end as they peppered Antti Niemi in the early going, hitting him with the type of pressure that he hadn't seen yet in the playoffs. It was the first time during the playoffs that Niemi had allowed more that four goals in a game, and he did that in the first two periods. Unfortunately for Philadelphia, he stopped the Flyers in the third and kept them from doing any more damage. Regardless, the offense did it's job.
Where the Flyers were sloppy last night was both on defense and in the net. For the first time in the playoffs, Michael Leighton looked like a backup goalie and was struggling on the ice. Maybe it was the nerves of playing in his first Stanley Cup Final game, but he didn't look like the same goalie that helped get the Flyers past Boston and Montreal in the Eastern Conference Finals. In those two series, Leighton was excellent at keeping rebounds controlled, but last night, he couldn't do that. Chicago played a physical game in front of the net, and Leighton couldn't pick up the trash when he needed to, which led to a few easy goals for the Blackhawks.
Of course, the defense needed to help out there as well, and they couldn't do much right at all last night. They couldn't pick up the trash in front of the net either, and there were a few times where any defender for the Flyers not named Chris Pronger just looked slow against the Chicago attack. Some bad puckhandling and slow pursuit on a power play in the first period ended up as a shorthanded goal for Chicago, and when the Flyers needed to make stops on defense to keep Leighton from getting in trouble, they couldn't do it. Eventually, Leighton was pulled after giving up five goals in 20 shots, and Brian Boucher made his first appearance since Game 5 against Boston.
Now, Boucher didn't necessarily look much better than Leighton did, but he also faced less pressure. In his 24 minutes in net, Boucher faced 12 shots, while Leighton faced 20 in 35 minutes. There shouldn't be a goalie controversy now, and there's not. Head coach Peter Laviolette stated today that Leighton is going to start in Game 2 for the Flyers, and that's the right move. Leighton got some bad breaks last night, and the goal that Boucher allowed was softer than any of the five that Leighton had go past him. It wasn't a good performance last night by either of the goalies, but that's why hockey has a best of seven format. One bad game isn't going to kill your chances, but two or three certainly don't help.
The Flyers did prove a lot last night. They showed that, for the most part, they can keep up with how the Blackhawks play. Though there were some lapses in defense for both teams, the Flyers hung tough with a team that a lot of people said would blow them out of the United Center in the first two games. They also played phsyical with Chicago, which is something that no Western Conference team was able to do in the first three rounds of the playoffs. By keeping Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien and Jonathan Toews from scoring, the Flyers sent a message that the Blackhawks are going to need other people to score to win this series. That's what Chicago got last night, but over an entire seven game series, I don't know if they can keep that performance up. Scoring six goals doesn't happen every night, and while the Blackhawks looked great last night, the Flyers matched their speed and performance on the ice for most of the night. Being down in the Stanley Cup Finals is never fun, but the Flyers have already come back from an 0-3 hole in these playoffs, so being down one game isn't a big problem. Hopefully, they can take Game 2 and even the series as it heads back to Philadelphia.
Game 2 is tomorrow night, so get your BBQing and such out of the way early so you can watch the game.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Phillies Recap: Phillies-1, Marlins-0
Game Recap:
Roy Halladay only got one run, but it was more than enough, as he pitched the 20th perfect game in baseball history, and the second ever for the Phillies.
What went right?
Well, let's start from the top...
Wilson Valdez was 2-4 with the only run scored in the game.
Juan Castro went 2-4 and had a great stop on a Jorge Cantu hard line drive in the eighth inning.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 and caught the perfect game. You have to give some love to the catcher in these games.
Oh, and Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game, retiring all 27 Florida batters that came to the plate. He struck out 11 and obviously didn't walk a batter.
What went wrong?
I could talk about how several Phillies didn't have hits tonight, but honestly, it doesn't matter. Roy Halladay threw a perfect game.
Game Analysis:
Yes, that actually just happened. After being shut out in three straight games against the Mets earlier this week, Roy Halladay managed to cap things by pitching a perfect game. That's not a typo. Halladay faced 27 Florida Marlins, and retired all 27 of them. No walks, no errors, no hits. It was the 20th perfect game in baseball history, and the first that the Phillies have seen since Jim Bunning did it against the Mets back in 1964.
There's really not much to say about the offense tonight, because the Phillies only scored one run. Wilson Valdez came home on a three base error by Cameron Maybin, who lost track of a Chase Utley fly ball in center. The Phillies had plenty of chances, but they couldn't do anything with them. It certainly wasn't a banner offensive night for the Phils, but that's been the case this entire week. At least tonight, they managed to get a run across for Roy Halladay, and that was all that he needed.
What else can you say about Roy Halladay as a Phillie? After back to back losses, the Doc got an extra day of rest before pitching tonight, and it certainly looked like it helped, as he retired the first two batters of the game by strikeout and was in a zone after that. He looked better than he had in each of his last two starts, and when he did get into three ball counts, he managed to get out of them by painting the corners of the plate and getting the Marlins to ground or fly out each and every time. While Halladay has come close to history before, tonight was the first time that he was truly perfect. He came close in his second ever start, pitching eight and a third innings of no-hit ball, but tonight was his first no-hitter, and his first perfect game.
There's really not much else to say about tonight. It was baseball history, and the first no-hitter that the Phillies have been a part of since Kevin Millwood, also wearing number 34, no-hit the Giants by a 1-0 score back in 2003. Roy Halladay was brought to Philadelphia to be the ace for at least the next few years, and he showed why he deserves that praise tonight. It's hard to think that someone would be able to take my attention away from the Flyers playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, but Roy Halladay did just that tonight. Perfection is something that requires your attention, and it got that tonight. For one night, at least, Roy Halladay was perfect.
After being one hit last Saturday, it's amazing that this is the way the Phillies ended this week. Being shut out in four of five games was a horrible feeling, but watching Halladay pitch a perfect game tonight makes it all better. This was like watching a World Series game, I'm not even joking. I watched this game tonight with the same intensity that I've watched the last two World Series. I refused to do anything different than what I was doing in between innings once the fifth inning came into play, that's how I do things. I don't know if that helped Halladay tonight or not, but honestly, I wasn't willing to take that chance. Roy Halladay made history, and I watched the game.
For those of you wondering if this really is the Golden Age of Philadelphia sports, look at this month. The Flyers have come back from being down 3-0, making them the third NHL team to ever achieve that feat, and Roy Halladay just pitched a perfect game. These things happened within two weeks of each other. Let that sink in for a minute. We're spoiled right now, and I'm more than happy to be covering it for all of you.
Tomorrow, Jamie Moyer (5-4, 4.55 ERA) has to follow up history. He goes against Anibal Sanchez (4-2, 3.23 ERA).
The only thing that I wish was different for tonight? That Harry was here to make the call.
Roy Halladay only got one run, but it was more than enough, as he pitched the 20th perfect game in baseball history, and the second ever for the Phillies.
What went right?
Well, let's start from the top...
Wilson Valdez was 2-4 with the only run scored in the game.
Juan Castro went 2-4 and had a great stop on a Jorge Cantu hard line drive in the eighth inning.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 and caught the perfect game. You have to give some love to the catcher in these games.
Oh, and Roy Halladay pitched a perfect game, retiring all 27 Florida batters that came to the plate. He struck out 11 and obviously didn't walk a batter.
What went wrong?
I could talk about how several Phillies didn't have hits tonight, but honestly, it doesn't matter. Roy Halladay threw a perfect game.
Game Analysis:
Yes, that actually just happened. After being shut out in three straight games against the Mets earlier this week, Roy Halladay managed to cap things by pitching a perfect game. That's not a typo. Halladay faced 27 Florida Marlins, and retired all 27 of them. No walks, no errors, no hits. It was the 20th perfect game in baseball history, and the first that the Phillies have seen since Jim Bunning did it against the Mets back in 1964.
There's really not much to say about the offense tonight, because the Phillies only scored one run. Wilson Valdez came home on a three base error by Cameron Maybin, who lost track of a Chase Utley fly ball in center. The Phillies had plenty of chances, but they couldn't do anything with them. It certainly wasn't a banner offensive night for the Phils, but that's been the case this entire week. At least tonight, they managed to get a run across for Roy Halladay, and that was all that he needed.
What else can you say about Roy Halladay as a Phillie? After back to back losses, the Doc got an extra day of rest before pitching tonight, and it certainly looked like it helped, as he retired the first two batters of the game by strikeout and was in a zone after that. He looked better than he had in each of his last two starts, and when he did get into three ball counts, he managed to get out of them by painting the corners of the plate and getting the Marlins to ground or fly out each and every time. While Halladay has come close to history before, tonight was the first time that he was truly perfect. He came close in his second ever start, pitching eight and a third innings of no-hit ball, but tonight was his first no-hitter, and his first perfect game.
There's really not much else to say about tonight. It was baseball history, and the first no-hitter that the Phillies have been a part of since Kevin Millwood, also wearing number 34, no-hit the Giants by a 1-0 score back in 2003. Roy Halladay was brought to Philadelphia to be the ace for at least the next few years, and he showed why he deserves that praise tonight. It's hard to think that someone would be able to take my attention away from the Flyers playing in the Stanley Cup Finals, but Roy Halladay did just that tonight. Perfection is something that requires your attention, and it got that tonight. For one night, at least, Roy Halladay was perfect.
After being one hit last Saturday, it's amazing that this is the way the Phillies ended this week. Being shut out in four of five games was a horrible feeling, but watching Halladay pitch a perfect game tonight makes it all better. This was like watching a World Series game, I'm not even joking. I watched this game tonight with the same intensity that I've watched the last two World Series. I refused to do anything different than what I was doing in between innings once the fifth inning came into play, that's how I do things. I don't know if that helped Halladay tonight or not, but honestly, I wasn't willing to take that chance. Roy Halladay made history, and I watched the game.
For those of you wondering if this really is the Golden Age of Philadelphia sports, look at this month. The Flyers have come back from being down 3-0, making them the third NHL team to ever achieve that feat, and Roy Halladay just pitched a perfect game. These things happened within two weeks of each other. Let that sink in for a minute. We're spoiled right now, and I'm more than happy to be covering it for all of you.
Tomorrow, Jamie Moyer (5-4, 4.55 ERA) has to follow up history. He goes against Anibal Sanchez (4-2, 3.23 ERA).
The only thing that I wish was different for tonight? That Harry was here to make the call.
Phillies Recap: Phillies-3, Marlins-2
Game Recap:
It took the Phillies three games against the Mets and three innings tonight, but they scored against the Florida Marlins and held on for a 3-2 win.
What went right?
Hey! I get to put something here now!
Ryan Howard went 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with the first RBI for the Phillies since last Sunday.
Chase Utley was 0-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Wilson Valdez went 2-4.
Kyle Kendrick did his job, getting the win after pitching six innings. He allowed two runs (none earned) on five hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out one.
What went wrong?
Greg Dobbs went 0-4.
The two Florida runs that scored came on an error by Kyle Kendrick.
The Phillies left seven men on base.
Game Analysis:
It took three games against the Mets and three innings against Florida, but the Phillies finally scored a run. It was only a matter of time before they did, but the fact that this happened against a member of the National League East made things even worse for the Phils, who became the first team that was in first place to be shutout in a three game series since the 1974 Boston Red Sox.
Tonight, however, it didn't matter. Raul Ibanez's fourth inning triple scored Ryan Howard, and just like that, the Phillies had a run on the board. They would add two more on a Howard single and a Chase Utley ground out, showing that this team can in fact play small ball. They did so tonight, even with a few issues, and they not only scored runs, but they won the game. It wasn't a pretty win tonight, but it was a win, and right now, that's all that matters.
The Phillies did well in the pitching department tonight as well. After Cole Hamels got pinned with an undeserved loss last night, the Phils came out tonight and pitched just as well. Kyle Kendrick actually pitched six innings of five hit baseball, and if you can ignore the poor throw that allowed two runs to score, then he pitched six shutout innings. It's amazing how much better that sounds without having the Mets nipping at their heels.
Now, Kendrick wasn't perfect tonight, nor was the bullpen. Both Danys Baez and Jose Contreras allowed two men to reach base in their innings, but both managed to get out of jams without allowing a run, and Contreras picked up his third save of the season as well. There have been better looking wins than this one, but after not scoring for an entire series, just seeing the Phillies pick up a few runs is more than enough for me right now.
Tonight, Roy Halladay (6-3, 2.22 ERA) goes for his seventh win of the season against Josh Johnson (5-1, 2.43 ERA).
It took the Phillies three games against the Mets and three innings tonight, but they scored against the Florida Marlins and held on for a 3-2 win.
What went right?
Hey! I get to put something here now!
Ryan Howard went 2-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with the first RBI for the Phillies since last Sunday.
Chase Utley was 0-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Wilson Valdez went 2-4.
Kyle Kendrick did his job, getting the win after pitching six innings. He allowed two runs (none earned) on five hits. He didn't walk a batter and struck out one.
What went wrong?
Greg Dobbs went 0-4.
The two Florida runs that scored came on an error by Kyle Kendrick.
The Phillies left seven men on base.
Game Analysis:
It took three games against the Mets and three innings against Florida, but the Phillies finally scored a run. It was only a matter of time before they did, but the fact that this happened against a member of the National League East made things even worse for the Phils, who became the first team that was in first place to be shutout in a three game series since the 1974 Boston Red Sox.
Tonight, however, it didn't matter. Raul Ibanez's fourth inning triple scored Ryan Howard, and just like that, the Phillies had a run on the board. They would add two more on a Howard single and a Chase Utley ground out, showing that this team can in fact play small ball. They did so tonight, even with a few issues, and they not only scored runs, but they won the game. It wasn't a pretty win tonight, but it was a win, and right now, that's all that matters.
The Phillies did well in the pitching department tonight as well. After Cole Hamels got pinned with an undeserved loss last night, the Phils came out tonight and pitched just as well. Kyle Kendrick actually pitched six innings of five hit baseball, and if you can ignore the poor throw that allowed two runs to score, then he pitched six shutout innings. It's amazing how much better that sounds without having the Mets nipping at their heels.
Now, Kendrick wasn't perfect tonight, nor was the bullpen. Both Danys Baez and Jose Contreras allowed two men to reach base in their innings, but both managed to get out of jams without allowing a run, and Contreras picked up his third save of the season as well. There have been better looking wins than this one, but after not scoring for an entire series, just seeing the Phillies pick up a few runs is more than enough for me right now.
Tonight, Roy Halladay (6-3, 2.22 ERA) goes for his seventh win of the season against Josh Johnson (5-1, 2.43 ERA).
Thursday, May 27, 2010
I said it on Facebook, and I'll say it here...
No recaps until the Phillies score a run. It's that simple.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Phillies Recap: Mets-5, Phillies-0
Game Recap:
For the second day in a row, the Phillies were shutout by the Mets, despite seven hits.
What went right?
I'm getting tired of writing that nothing went right. Something had better go right tomorrow, dammit.
What went wrong?
Where should I start?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with two strikeouts.
Jayson Werth was 0-4.
Brian Schneider went 0-3.
The Phillies left seven men on base tonight.
Joe Blanton picked up his third loss of the season, allowing five runs on six hits in 5.1 innings. He walked four and struck out two.
Game Analysis:
You know what? I'm running out of ways to say that the Phillies need to improve their offense right now, so I'm not going to say it anymore. This is the roughest stretch that the Phils have been in this season, and it's the first time that they've been shutout in back to back games since the 2008 season. Nothing is going right for this team right now. The Phils left seven more men on base tonight and didn't walk once against Hisanori Takahashi, who made his first major league start tonight. Not only that, but they got another poor effort out of a starting pitcher, as Joe Blanton didn't even reach Joe Blanton status out on the mound.
The whole team needs to sit down and figure out exactly what is going on right now. The offense isn't clicking, the pitching staff is struggling, the defense isn't all there, and they're not stealing bases when they do get on. Tonight, the Mets stole four bases, giving them seven in two games. The Phillies haven't stolen a base in the series, and have just 16 stolen bases on the season. The speed game that has been such a big part of the Phillies over the last three years isn't there so far this year. Part of that has to do with Jimmy Rollins being hurt for most of the season, but they still have Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth, who are all capable of stealing bases when they have to. Right now, Victorino is the only Phillie with more than two stolen bases. That's not going to fly for the rest of the season.
There's really not much else to say tonight. There's only so much you can write about when the Phillies have scored three runs in four games. That's not going to win you any ballgames, and right now, this team has got to get back to the basics. Try scoring one run...I bet you'll like it.
Tomorrow, Cole Hamels (5-2, 3.92 ERA) tries to get his sixth win of the year and prevent the Mets from sweeping the Phillies. Mike Pelfrey (6-1, 2.86 ERA) goes for the Mets.
For the second day in a row, the Phillies were shutout by the Mets, despite seven hits.
What went right?
I'm getting tired of writing that nothing went right. Something had better go right tomorrow, dammit.
What went wrong?
Where should I start?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with two strikeouts.
Jayson Werth was 0-4.
Brian Schneider went 0-3.
The Phillies left seven men on base tonight.
Joe Blanton picked up his third loss of the season, allowing five runs on six hits in 5.1 innings. He walked four and struck out two.
Game Analysis:
You know what? I'm running out of ways to say that the Phillies need to improve their offense right now, so I'm not going to say it anymore. This is the roughest stretch that the Phils have been in this season, and it's the first time that they've been shutout in back to back games since the 2008 season. Nothing is going right for this team right now. The Phils left seven more men on base tonight and didn't walk once against Hisanori Takahashi, who made his first major league start tonight. Not only that, but they got another poor effort out of a starting pitcher, as Joe Blanton didn't even reach Joe Blanton status out on the mound.
The whole team needs to sit down and figure out exactly what is going on right now. The offense isn't clicking, the pitching staff is struggling, the defense isn't all there, and they're not stealing bases when they do get on. Tonight, the Mets stole four bases, giving them seven in two games. The Phillies haven't stolen a base in the series, and have just 16 stolen bases on the season. The speed game that has been such a big part of the Phillies over the last three years isn't there so far this year. Part of that has to do with Jimmy Rollins being hurt for most of the season, but they still have Shane Victorino, Chase Utley and Jayson Werth, who are all capable of stealing bases when they have to. Right now, Victorino is the only Phillie with more than two stolen bases. That's not going to fly for the rest of the season.
There's really not much else to say tonight. There's only so much you can write about when the Phillies have scored three runs in four games. That's not going to win you any ballgames, and right now, this team has got to get back to the basics. Try scoring one run...I bet you'll like it.
Tomorrow, Cole Hamels (5-2, 3.92 ERA) tries to get his sixth win of the year and prevent the Mets from sweeping the Phillies. Mike Pelfrey (6-1, 2.86 ERA) goes for the Mets.
Phillies Recap: Mets-8, Phillies-0
Game Recap:
The Phillies got nine hits off of New York's pitchers, but couldn't push a run across as they were shutout for the second time in three games.
What went right?
I want to write that something went right, but when a team gets nine hits and no runs, then nothing really went the way that it was supposed to.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley was 0-5 with two strikeouts.
Carlos Ruiz was 1-4, but grounded into a bases loaded double play in the second inning.
Shane Victorino was 0-3.
Juan Castro went 0-2.
The Phillies left 13 men on base for the game.
Jamie Moyer didn't have his best stuff last night, allowing four runs on seven hits in five innings. He walked two and didn't strike out a batter.
Nelson Figueroa helped put the game out of reach for the Phils, allowing the Mets to score three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Game Analysis:
Right now, nothing is working for the Phillies. In their last three games, the Phils have shutout twice and scored just three runs in the ninth inning of their other loss. The offense has been ice cold, and that was the case again last night against the New York Mets. They had their chances, but couldn't do anything with them, and they dropped their third game in a row.
There's nothing good that can be said about how the Phillies are playing at the plate right now. Last night, they had plenty of chances against R.A. Dickey, but they couldn't get a run to cross the plate. They loaded the bases with no one out in the second inning and looked like they were going to break the game wide open, but Carlos Ruiz weakly tapped a ground ball back to Dickey, who turned it into a backbreaking double play. Even though Juan Castro walked, Jamie Moyer struck out to end the inning, and that was the last time the Phillies would threaten until the seventh inning. Dickey's knuckleball had the Phillies off balance all night in big situations, and after facing Tim Wakefield on Sunday, the Phils can't wait to face a normal pitcher again.
Still, this recent funk can't be blamed on a couple of knuckleball pitchers. The Phillies just aren't playing good baseball right now. Every team goes through these funks during a long season, so this isn't anything to get concerned with, not yet anyway. It would be nice to see the Phils beat up on the Mets a little bit more, and that certainly could happen in the next two games of this series, but the offense has got to snap back into form, and the pitching has to do better as well. When Jamie Moyer goes just five innings and doesn't strike anyone out, that's not a good pitching effort on his part. Moyer's had good games this year, so he's still got something left in the tank, but last night wasn't his best start.
Right now, the Phillies are not a fun team to watch. Nothing is going their way, and the second injury to Jimmy Rollins looks like it's actually taking a toll on the offense. Last night, the Phils had chances, but did nothing with them, leaving 13 men on base. That's a good way to get shutout, and that's exactly what happened. It's going to take a bit more than what this team has been showing since early last week to win games, and with this road trip continuing to Florida and Atlanta after the series with the Mets, it's not going to get any easier for the Phillies.
Tonight, Joe Blanton(1-2, 5.06 ERA) will try and snap this losing streak as he goes against Hisanori Takahashi (3-1, 2.53 ERA).
The Phillies got nine hits off of New York's pitchers, but couldn't push a run across as they were shutout for the second time in three games.
What went right?
I want to write that something went right, but when a team gets nine hits and no runs, then nothing really went the way that it was supposed to.
What went wrong?
Chase Utley was 0-5 with two strikeouts.
Carlos Ruiz was 1-4, but grounded into a bases loaded double play in the second inning.
Shane Victorino was 0-3.
Juan Castro went 0-2.
The Phillies left 13 men on base for the game.
Jamie Moyer didn't have his best stuff last night, allowing four runs on seven hits in five innings. He walked two and didn't strike out a batter.
Nelson Figueroa helped put the game out of reach for the Phils, allowing the Mets to score three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Game Analysis:
Right now, nothing is working for the Phillies. In their last three games, the Phils have shutout twice and scored just three runs in the ninth inning of their other loss. The offense has been ice cold, and that was the case again last night against the New York Mets. They had their chances, but couldn't do anything with them, and they dropped their third game in a row.
There's nothing good that can be said about how the Phillies are playing at the plate right now. Last night, they had plenty of chances against R.A. Dickey, but they couldn't get a run to cross the plate. They loaded the bases with no one out in the second inning and looked like they were going to break the game wide open, but Carlos Ruiz weakly tapped a ground ball back to Dickey, who turned it into a backbreaking double play. Even though Juan Castro walked, Jamie Moyer struck out to end the inning, and that was the last time the Phillies would threaten until the seventh inning. Dickey's knuckleball had the Phillies off balance all night in big situations, and after facing Tim Wakefield on Sunday, the Phils can't wait to face a normal pitcher again.
Still, this recent funk can't be blamed on a couple of knuckleball pitchers. The Phillies just aren't playing good baseball right now. Every team goes through these funks during a long season, so this isn't anything to get concerned with, not yet anyway. It would be nice to see the Phils beat up on the Mets a little bit more, and that certainly could happen in the next two games of this series, but the offense has got to snap back into form, and the pitching has to do better as well. When Jamie Moyer goes just five innings and doesn't strike anyone out, that's not a good pitching effort on his part. Moyer's had good games this year, so he's still got something left in the tank, but last night wasn't his best start.
Right now, the Phillies are not a fun team to watch. Nothing is going their way, and the second injury to Jimmy Rollins looks like it's actually taking a toll on the offense. Last night, the Phils had chances, but did nothing with them, leaving 13 men on base. That's a good way to get shutout, and that's exactly what happened. It's going to take a bit more than what this team has been showing since early last week to win games, and with this road trip continuing to Florida and Atlanta after the series with the Mets, it's not going to get any easier for the Phillies.
Tonight, Joe Blanton(1-2, 5.06 ERA) will try and snap this losing streak as he goes against Hisanori Takahashi (3-1, 2.53 ERA).
Monday, May 24, 2010
Keep those beards going: The Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals
Somehow, this improbable run for the Philadelphia Flyers is going to continue. Tonight, the Flyers punched their ticket to Chicago for the Stanley Cup Finals with a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens, earning their first Finals appearance in 13 seasons.. Just as it has been through the entire playoffs, the Flyers played with a grit and toughness that allowed them to overcome a shaky start and and keep going in the playoffs.
Things didn't start out that well for the Flyers tonight. Chris Pronger had a pass intercepted by Montreal in the first minute of the game that turned into a goal by Brian Gionta that put the Canadiens up 1-0 just 59 seconds in. It wouldn't take long for the Flyers to answer back, though. With Montreal on the power play, Claude Giroux's pass sent Mike Richards loose on a breakaway, and he plowed through Jaroslav Halak, who decided to skate up to play the puck. Richards fell down, but got back up, found the puck and put it in the back of the net to tie the game. Even though it was just five minutes into the game, that was the turning point for the Flyers. Throughout their series with Montreal, the Flyers had to withstand the first ten minutes of every game. If they could survive, or even take the lead against the Canadiens, then they were fine. Tonight was no exception. With Richards making plays like he did in the first period, the Flyers took control of the game.
They would put the Canadiens on the ropes with a flurry early in the second period. First, Arron Asham showed some great puck handling and got the puck past Halak to give the Flyers their first lead of the game just three and a half minutes into the second. Less than 90 seconds later, Jeff Carter scored his first goal after returning from injury, getting a nice feed from Mike Richards, and Philadelphia had a 3-1 lead. From there, it was just a matter of keeping Montreal from scoring twice, and the Flyers were able to do that. Chris Pronger and Kimo Timonen were excellent once again, shutting down Montreal's attack after the first 60 seconds, and Michael Leighton was on top of his game again. Even though the Canadiens would score midway through the third period to cut the lead to one, they wouldn't find the net again. The defense and Leighton did everything that had to be done, keeping Montreal from mounting much of an offensive attack for the rest of the game. When Mike Richards was able to find Jeff Carter for an empty net goal with 22 seconds to play, the celebration was on. For the first time in 13 years, the Philadelphia Flyers are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals.
This entire series against Montreal was built upon the fact that the Flyers are a physical team that can also play the quicker style of the higher level NHL teams. That was never more clear that against the Canadiens. The Flyers skated right past Montreal, and then were able to out-muscle them when they had to. With Chris Pronger and Kimo Timonen on defense, the Flyers have two excellent defenders to help protect Michael Leighton, and both can also help spring odd man rushes with their passing skills. Coming into the Eastern Conference Finals, Mike Cammalleri was the hottest player in the playoffs. He left the series against the Flyers with one goal and no assists. For a man that came into the series with 18 points, having one in five games is a telling sign of how well the Flyers played on defense the entire five games that the Eastern Conference Finals went on.
There's also the play of Michael Leighton, who pitched three shutouts against a Montreal team that had been shut out once in their previous 14 playoff games. Ever since he came in for an injured Brian Boucher, Leighton is 6-1 and has looked every bit like the goalie that helped save Philadelphia's season while he played during the regular season. While Brian Boucher was excellent against New Jersey, Leighton has been even better against Boston and Montreal, and one can argue that the Flyers wouldn't have made this run to the Stanley Cup Finals without him in net. Aside for one bad game against the Canadiens, Leighton has been a brick wall for the Flyers, stopping most chances that the Canadiens and Bruins have had against him. For a goalie that Philadelphia picked up as a castaway from Nashville, did anyone expect this from Leighton this year? I have no idea how he's playing this well, but I'm not going to complain.
There's not enough to say about Mike Richards right now. The captain was on top of his game tonight, scoring the first goal on a shorthanded breakaway and assisting on both of Jeff Carter's tallies tonight. For this entire run, Richards has shown why he should be the captain of this team. He brings skill and leadership to the Flyers, and he's the heartbeat of this team. Without him, I don't want to know where these guys would be, but that doesn't matter right now. He's playing on a different level, as is Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Simon Gagne and even Jeff Carter, who looks great, considering he just came back from a broken foot. For the first time in a long time, the Flyers are about as healthy as they were when the season started, and that's a good thing.
Now, it comes down to this. On Saturday, the Flyers will play their first Stanley Cup Final game in 13 years against the Chicago Blackhawks. I'm not going to lie; the Blackhawks are a great, great team that have a lot of things going for them right now. Chicago hasn't made it to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1992, and they haven't won a Cup since 1961. However, it's been 35 years since the Flyers won the Stanley Cup, and they haven't even won a Stanley Cup Finals game since 1987. Things seem to be falling into position for both teams at the moment, and there's going to be calls for both sides to win, but I'm not going there yet. A preview will be up later on this week, but for the time being, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy this.
The Philadelphia Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals...after everything that this team went through, would you believe it?
Things didn't start out that well for the Flyers tonight. Chris Pronger had a pass intercepted by Montreal in the first minute of the game that turned into a goal by Brian Gionta that put the Canadiens up 1-0 just 59 seconds in. It wouldn't take long for the Flyers to answer back, though. With Montreal on the power play, Claude Giroux's pass sent Mike Richards loose on a breakaway, and he plowed through Jaroslav Halak, who decided to skate up to play the puck. Richards fell down, but got back up, found the puck and put it in the back of the net to tie the game. Even though it was just five minutes into the game, that was the turning point for the Flyers. Throughout their series with Montreal, the Flyers had to withstand the first ten minutes of every game. If they could survive, or even take the lead against the Canadiens, then they were fine. Tonight was no exception. With Richards making plays like he did in the first period, the Flyers took control of the game.
They would put the Canadiens on the ropes with a flurry early in the second period. First, Arron Asham showed some great puck handling and got the puck past Halak to give the Flyers their first lead of the game just three and a half minutes into the second. Less than 90 seconds later, Jeff Carter scored his first goal after returning from injury, getting a nice feed from Mike Richards, and Philadelphia had a 3-1 lead. From there, it was just a matter of keeping Montreal from scoring twice, and the Flyers were able to do that. Chris Pronger and Kimo Timonen were excellent once again, shutting down Montreal's attack after the first 60 seconds, and Michael Leighton was on top of his game again. Even though the Canadiens would score midway through the third period to cut the lead to one, they wouldn't find the net again. The defense and Leighton did everything that had to be done, keeping Montreal from mounting much of an offensive attack for the rest of the game. When Mike Richards was able to find Jeff Carter for an empty net goal with 22 seconds to play, the celebration was on. For the first time in 13 years, the Philadelphia Flyers are headed to the Stanley Cup Finals.
This entire series against Montreal was built upon the fact that the Flyers are a physical team that can also play the quicker style of the higher level NHL teams. That was never more clear that against the Canadiens. The Flyers skated right past Montreal, and then were able to out-muscle them when they had to. With Chris Pronger and Kimo Timonen on defense, the Flyers have two excellent defenders to help protect Michael Leighton, and both can also help spring odd man rushes with their passing skills. Coming into the Eastern Conference Finals, Mike Cammalleri was the hottest player in the playoffs. He left the series against the Flyers with one goal and no assists. For a man that came into the series with 18 points, having one in five games is a telling sign of how well the Flyers played on defense the entire five games that the Eastern Conference Finals went on.
There's also the play of Michael Leighton, who pitched three shutouts against a Montreal team that had been shut out once in their previous 14 playoff games. Ever since he came in for an injured Brian Boucher, Leighton is 6-1 and has looked every bit like the goalie that helped save Philadelphia's season while he played during the regular season. While Brian Boucher was excellent against New Jersey, Leighton has been even better against Boston and Montreal, and one can argue that the Flyers wouldn't have made this run to the Stanley Cup Finals without him in net. Aside for one bad game against the Canadiens, Leighton has been a brick wall for the Flyers, stopping most chances that the Canadiens and Bruins have had against him. For a goalie that Philadelphia picked up as a castaway from Nashville, did anyone expect this from Leighton this year? I have no idea how he's playing this well, but I'm not going to complain.
There's not enough to say about Mike Richards right now. The captain was on top of his game tonight, scoring the first goal on a shorthanded breakaway and assisting on both of Jeff Carter's tallies tonight. For this entire run, Richards has shown why he should be the captain of this team. He brings skill and leadership to the Flyers, and he's the heartbeat of this team. Without him, I don't want to know where these guys would be, but that doesn't matter right now. He's playing on a different level, as is Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, Simon Gagne and even Jeff Carter, who looks great, considering he just came back from a broken foot. For the first time in a long time, the Flyers are about as healthy as they were when the season started, and that's a good thing.
Now, it comes down to this. On Saturday, the Flyers will play their first Stanley Cup Final game in 13 years against the Chicago Blackhawks. I'm not going to lie; the Blackhawks are a great, great team that have a lot of things going for them right now. Chicago hasn't made it to the Stanley Cup Finals since 1992, and they haven't won a Cup since 1961. However, it's been 35 years since the Flyers won the Stanley Cup, and they haven't even won a Stanley Cup Finals game since 1987. Things seem to be falling into position for both teams at the moment, and there's going to be calls for both sides to win, but I'm not going there yet. A preview will be up later on this week, but for the time being, I'm just going to sit back and enjoy this.
The Philadelphia Flyers are in the Stanley Cup Finals...after everything that this team went through, would you believe it?
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Phillies Recap: Red Sox-8, Phillies-3
Game Recap:
Roy Halladay had his roughest outing as a member of the Phillies, and Tim Wakefield shut the Phils out for eight innings as Boston took the final game of this interleague series.
What went right?
I guess you could say that Ross Gload did something right with a two run home run, but it came in the ninth inning, when the Phillies were down 8-1. That's not so good.
What went wrong?
Greg Dobbs was 0-4 and had an error that allowed two runs to score.
Ryan Howard was 0-3.
Paul Hoover was 0-3.
Roy Halladay had his worst outing with the Phillies, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in just 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Game Analysis:
When you have your best pitcher on the mound, going up against a 43 year old pitcher who doesn't throw anything faster than 80 miles an hour, you expect to win. However, as the Phillies proved earlier this season when Jamie Moyer beat Johan Santana, that doesn't always happen. That was the case today, as the Boston Red Sox beat up on Roy Halladay, and Tim Wakefield shut the Phils out for eight innings before giving way to the bullpen in an 8-3 Boston win.
There isn't much to say about the offense right now, except for the fact that it hasn't been very good at all in the past two games. Today, the Phils at least managed to get a few hits off of Tim Wakefield, but they couldn't do anything with them, leaving seven men on base during the course of the game. Wakefield only struck out a single batter and walked two, but the Boston defense was stellar for the second straight game, keeping the Phillies from scoring a run until the ninth inning. The Phils need to get their offense going again, and fast. Jimmy Rollins isn't going to be back for a few weeks, at least, and their pitching staff isn't going to be able to win every game for them if they can't score runs. Luckily, this team can bounce back on offense and make these last two games seem like just a bump in the road. With Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley in the lineup, anything is possible.
Roy Halladay had a bad start today, it's as simple as that. Some people are going to blame his showing on the fact that he pitched an unnecessary complete game in a loss against Pittsburgh on Tuesday, but I don't think that's the case. Boston has always hit Halladay pretty hard, and many of their hitters have a fair bit of experience against him. Plus, Halladay should have gotten out of the fourth inning without much trouble, had Greg Dobbs been able to not commit a key error that allowed two runs to score. After that, the Red Sox had all the momentum, and it carried through the rest of the game. The sixth inning falls all on Halladay, however. He didn't have his best stuff, and Boston was on him early and often. It happens to every pitcher, so it's nothing to worry about. Remember, Cliff Lee got lit up in a few starts after he came out with his guns blazing for the Phillies, so a bad start here or there is nothing to be concerned about. If it becomes more of a habit, then it might be something, but it's not going to get that far. Halladay is too good for that.
While losing two out of three games is nothing to be happy about, the fact of the matter is that the Phillies lost to a good team, even though their record isn't as good as it usually is. Boston has one of the best offenses in baseball, and plays in the toughest division as well. Right now, the Red Sox are 24-21, and in fourth place in the American League East. That's not an excuse, that's just the way it is. Boston has been plagued with poor pitching this year, but against the Phillies, their pitching took over. The Phils will get better again on offense, it's just a matter of time. For now, it's back to the National League again, as interleague play takes a break until the end of June.
The Phillies have an off day tomorrow, and then travel to New York for the first time this year to take on the Mets. Jamie Moyer (5-3, 4.30 ERA) goes for the Phillies, and R.A. Dickey (0-0, 3.00 ERA) looks to be starting for New York.
Roy Halladay had his roughest outing as a member of the Phillies, and Tim Wakefield shut the Phils out for eight innings as Boston took the final game of this interleague series.
What went right?
I guess you could say that Ross Gload did something right with a two run home run, but it came in the ninth inning, when the Phillies were down 8-1. That's not so good.
What went wrong?
Greg Dobbs was 0-4 and had an error that allowed two runs to score.
Ryan Howard was 0-3.
Paul Hoover was 0-3.
Roy Halladay had his worst outing with the Phillies, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits in just 5.2 innings. He walked two and struck out one.
Game Analysis:
When you have your best pitcher on the mound, going up against a 43 year old pitcher who doesn't throw anything faster than 80 miles an hour, you expect to win. However, as the Phillies proved earlier this season when Jamie Moyer beat Johan Santana, that doesn't always happen. That was the case today, as the Boston Red Sox beat up on Roy Halladay, and Tim Wakefield shut the Phils out for eight innings before giving way to the bullpen in an 8-3 Boston win.
There isn't much to say about the offense right now, except for the fact that it hasn't been very good at all in the past two games. Today, the Phils at least managed to get a few hits off of Tim Wakefield, but they couldn't do anything with them, leaving seven men on base during the course of the game. Wakefield only struck out a single batter and walked two, but the Boston defense was stellar for the second straight game, keeping the Phillies from scoring a run until the ninth inning. The Phils need to get their offense going again, and fast. Jimmy Rollins isn't going to be back for a few weeks, at least, and their pitching staff isn't going to be able to win every game for them if they can't score runs. Luckily, this team can bounce back on offense and make these last two games seem like just a bump in the road. With Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley in the lineup, anything is possible.
Roy Halladay had a bad start today, it's as simple as that. Some people are going to blame his showing on the fact that he pitched an unnecessary complete game in a loss against Pittsburgh on Tuesday, but I don't think that's the case. Boston has always hit Halladay pretty hard, and many of their hitters have a fair bit of experience against him. Plus, Halladay should have gotten out of the fourth inning without much trouble, had Greg Dobbs been able to not commit a key error that allowed two runs to score. After that, the Red Sox had all the momentum, and it carried through the rest of the game. The sixth inning falls all on Halladay, however. He didn't have his best stuff, and Boston was on him early and often. It happens to every pitcher, so it's nothing to worry about. Remember, Cliff Lee got lit up in a few starts after he came out with his guns blazing for the Phillies, so a bad start here or there is nothing to be concerned about. If it becomes more of a habit, then it might be something, but it's not going to get that far. Halladay is too good for that.
While losing two out of three games is nothing to be happy about, the fact of the matter is that the Phillies lost to a good team, even though their record isn't as good as it usually is. Boston has one of the best offenses in baseball, and plays in the toughest division as well. Right now, the Red Sox are 24-21, and in fourth place in the American League East. That's not an excuse, that's just the way it is. Boston has been plagued with poor pitching this year, but against the Phillies, their pitching took over. The Phils will get better again on offense, it's just a matter of time. For now, it's back to the National League again, as interleague play takes a break until the end of June.
The Phillies have an off day tomorrow, and then travel to New York for the first time this year to take on the Mets. Jamie Moyer (5-3, 4.30 ERA) goes for the Phillies, and R.A. Dickey (0-0, 3.00 ERA) looks to be starting for New York.
Phillie of the Week: May 16-22
The Phils had an average go of things this week, finishing with a 4-3 record and almost getting no-hit last night. However, there were some good parts of the week, as several Phils put in solid efforts. It's a tough call this time out, but this week's Phillie of the Week is:
Cole Hamels
Cole was on top of his game this week, and it showed on the mound both times he pitched. Hamels went 2-0, with a 1.98 ERA in starts against the Brewers and Red Sox. He allowed just nine hits and three runs while striking out 11 and walking four batters in 13.2 innings. So far this year, Cole has shown some glimpses of returning back to his 2008 form, and his 5-2 record on the season might be another indication of that. He's healthy and looks really good for the first time in a year and a half.
Cole Hamels
Cole was on top of his game this week, and it showed on the mound both times he pitched. Hamels went 2-0, with a 1.98 ERA in starts against the Brewers and Red Sox. He allowed just nine hits and three runs while striking out 11 and walking four batters in 13.2 innings. So far this year, Cole has shown some glimpses of returning back to his 2008 form, and his 5-2 record on the season might be another indication of that. He's healthy and looks really good for the first time in a year and a half.
Phillies Recap: Red Sox-5, Phillies-0
Game Recap:
Daisuke Matsuzaka held the Phillies without a hit until the eighth inning as Boston evened the three game series with the Phils at one a piece.
What went right?
Seriously? The Phillies almost got no-hit. Nothing went right.
What went wrong?
I'm not going to break down each player, because only Juan Castro got a hit. Oh, that also means Matsuzaka had as many hits as the Phillies did.
Kyle Kendrick got shelled again, allowing five runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out two.
Game Analysis:
There's not really much to break down from this game. Quite simply, the Phillies couldn't catch up to Daisuke Matsuzaka last night, and when they did hit the ball hard off of him, it was right at the defense. The Phils had some chances, but when you don't get a man past second base for the entire game, then you're not going to win.
Luckily, the Phillies didn't get no-hit last night. This recap would be even shorter if they had. Juan Castro broke up the no-hitter in the eighth inning with a little bloop single into left field that could have been caught. Instead, it fell in for the only hit of the game for the Phillies. It wasn't pretty, but having just one hit is still better than being no-hit, so the Phillies should be happy about that. At least they kept their names out of the record books.
Considering you can't get much lower than this showing, there's only one thing the Phillies can do, and that's pick themselves right back up, dust themselves off and go at the Red Sox again today. It can't get any worse, so they just have to play like everyone knows they can, and they'll be just fine.
The series finale is today. Roy Halladay (6-2, 1.64 ERA) will go for the Phils, and Tim Wakefield (0-2, 5.31 ERA) will be on the hill for Boston.
I swear, if the Phillies almost get no-hit against Wakefield today...
Daisuke Matsuzaka held the Phillies without a hit until the eighth inning as Boston evened the three game series with the Phils at one a piece.
What went right?
Seriously? The Phillies almost got no-hit. Nothing went right.
What went wrong?
I'm not going to break down each player, because only Juan Castro got a hit. Oh, that also means Matsuzaka had as many hits as the Phillies did.
Kyle Kendrick got shelled again, allowing five runs on eight hits in 4.2 innings. He walked two and struck out two.
Game Analysis:
There's not really much to break down from this game. Quite simply, the Phillies couldn't catch up to Daisuke Matsuzaka last night, and when they did hit the ball hard off of him, it was right at the defense. The Phils had some chances, but when you don't get a man past second base for the entire game, then you're not going to win.
Luckily, the Phillies didn't get no-hit last night. This recap would be even shorter if they had. Juan Castro broke up the no-hitter in the eighth inning with a little bloop single into left field that could have been caught. Instead, it fell in for the only hit of the game for the Phillies. It wasn't pretty, but having just one hit is still better than being no-hit, so the Phillies should be happy about that. At least they kept their names out of the record books.
Considering you can't get much lower than this showing, there's only one thing the Phillies can do, and that's pick themselves right back up, dust themselves off and go at the Red Sox again today. It can't get any worse, so they just have to play like everyone knows they can, and they'll be just fine.
The series finale is today. Roy Halladay (6-2, 1.64 ERA) will go for the Phils, and Tim Wakefield (0-2, 5.31 ERA) will be on the hill for Boston.
I swear, if the Phillies almost get no-hit against Wakefield today...
Saturday, May 22, 2010
There's your answer: Flyers take 3-1 lead in Eastern Conference Finals
As the dust settled on Game 3 and that 5-1 beating that the Canadiens put on the Flyers, there were some questions floating around. Could Montreal keep up the momentum, now that they had finally scored a goal in the series? Would the Flyers be able to bounce back after losing their six game winning streak? How would Michael Leighton fare in his second biggest game in the playoffs? Who would be coming back from injury for the Flyers? Today, all of those questions were answered, and then some. Both Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere returned from injury, and while both played well, it was the defense and Claude Giroux that did the heavy work today, with Giroux scoring twice and the defense keeping Leighton from having to do much in a 3-0 victory for Philadelphia.
For the first time since Game 1, the Flyers looked totally in control of Montreal. The Canadiens managed just 17 shots on goal, compared to 25 for Philadelphia, and the Flyers won 20 more shutouts than the Canadiens did. Even though the first period ended without a score, there was an air to the game that the Flyers were going to score soon, and they did just that. Claude Giroux scored five minutes into the second period to give Philadelphia the lead, and the game was in the hands of the Flyers from there. The defense was incredible, allowing Montreal to only get one shot on goal during the second period while the Flyers would score twice. Chris Pronger bounced back from his poor showing in Game 3 and found Ville Leino with an excellent pass that Leino took into the Montreal zone to score the second goal of the period. It's still amazing that the Flyers got Leino for nothing more than a song from Detroit at the trade deadline. If this run continues for Philadelphia, that trade, and subsequent playing of Leino in the playoffs, is going to loom large.
The third period was more of the same from the Flyers today. The defense continued to choke the Canadiens when they had chances in the Philadelphia zone, and the Flyers tried to build on their lead, but couldn't take advantage of many chances until the Canadiens pulled Jaroslav Halak. It was then that Claude Giroux scored his second goal of the game and his eighth of the playoffs on an empty-netter that put the game out of reach. For the third time in this series, the Flyers had worked a shutout against Montreal, and that might be the most amazing part about this entire series at the moment. Aside from Game 3, the Canadiens have been outscored by Philadelphia by a 12-0 margin. Michael Leighton has all three shutouts, and while the credit for the first two can be given to him, this one should be placed on the defense more than anything else.
Today, the Philadelphia defense was excellent. Matt Carle, Chris Pronger, Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen were at their best today, just dominating the Canadiens when they brought the puck into the Philadelphia zone. When you can hold a team to just a single shot in a period, then you're doing something right. That's what the Flyers did today, and they held Montreal to just 17 shots in the entire game. After the offensive storm that the Flyers had to face in Game 3, coming out and playing defense like they did today sent a clear message back to Montreal. The Canadiens dominated Game 3, and this game was going to be key in how the rest of the series was going to go. The Flyers took the beating that they dealt with the last time they hit the ice and just showed that the poor play from Friday night wasn't going to happen again. Chris Pronger was much better, and the team as a whole looked much, much better than they did in the previous game. After taking a four goal loss in Game 3, this was possibly the best game that the Flyers could have played. Now, they hold all the cards going back to Game 5 in Philadelphia.
This series isn't over yet though, not by a long shot. The Canadiens came back against Washington in the first round of the playoffs after being down 3-1, and they came back against Pittsburgh after being down 3-2. However, the Flyers seem to having something going for them that both of those teams did not. They have all the momentum, having come back from being down 3-0 against the Boston Bruins, and the physical play that they're throwing at Montreal seems to be too much for them at the moment. The Canadiens have played over 100 games this season, and that's going to start to take its toll. In the three losses that the Flyers have handed the Canadiens, Montreal has looked like the slower team, and Philadelphia has taken advantage of that. If they can play like they have in any one of their three wins, then this series will be over in five games.
Ten years ago, the Flyers had a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. That was the last time that they were this close to the Stanley Cup Finals. They then lost the next three games against the New Jersey Devils for one of the worst moments of the last decade. Now, they have a chance to undo a little bit of history. I really don't think that it's going to happen again, but you never know. This team though...it just feels different. Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere are both back, and it seems like everything is coming together at the right time. Game 5 is Monday night, back in Philadelphia. We'll see what happens then.
For the first time since Game 1, the Flyers looked totally in control of Montreal. The Canadiens managed just 17 shots on goal, compared to 25 for Philadelphia, and the Flyers won 20 more shutouts than the Canadiens did. Even though the first period ended without a score, there was an air to the game that the Flyers were going to score soon, and they did just that. Claude Giroux scored five minutes into the second period to give Philadelphia the lead, and the game was in the hands of the Flyers from there. The defense was incredible, allowing Montreal to only get one shot on goal during the second period while the Flyers would score twice. Chris Pronger bounced back from his poor showing in Game 3 and found Ville Leino with an excellent pass that Leino took into the Montreal zone to score the second goal of the period. It's still amazing that the Flyers got Leino for nothing more than a song from Detroit at the trade deadline. If this run continues for Philadelphia, that trade, and subsequent playing of Leino in the playoffs, is going to loom large.
The third period was more of the same from the Flyers today. The defense continued to choke the Canadiens when they had chances in the Philadelphia zone, and the Flyers tried to build on their lead, but couldn't take advantage of many chances until the Canadiens pulled Jaroslav Halak. It was then that Claude Giroux scored his second goal of the game and his eighth of the playoffs on an empty-netter that put the game out of reach. For the third time in this series, the Flyers had worked a shutout against Montreal, and that might be the most amazing part about this entire series at the moment. Aside from Game 3, the Canadiens have been outscored by Philadelphia by a 12-0 margin. Michael Leighton has all three shutouts, and while the credit for the first two can be given to him, this one should be placed on the defense more than anything else.
Today, the Philadelphia defense was excellent. Matt Carle, Chris Pronger, Braydon Coburn and Kimmo Timonen were at their best today, just dominating the Canadiens when they brought the puck into the Philadelphia zone. When you can hold a team to just a single shot in a period, then you're doing something right. That's what the Flyers did today, and they held Montreal to just 17 shots in the entire game. After the offensive storm that the Flyers had to face in Game 3, coming out and playing defense like they did today sent a clear message back to Montreal. The Canadiens dominated Game 3, and this game was going to be key in how the rest of the series was going to go. The Flyers took the beating that they dealt with the last time they hit the ice and just showed that the poor play from Friday night wasn't going to happen again. Chris Pronger was much better, and the team as a whole looked much, much better than they did in the previous game. After taking a four goal loss in Game 3, this was possibly the best game that the Flyers could have played. Now, they hold all the cards going back to Game 5 in Philadelphia.
This series isn't over yet though, not by a long shot. The Canadiens came back against Washington in the first round of the playoffs after being down 3-1, and they came back against Pittsburgh after being down 3-2. However, the Flyers seem to having something going for them that both of those teams did not. They have all the momentum, having come back from being down 3-0 against the Boston Bruins, and the physical play that they're throwing at Montreal seems to be too much for them at the moment. The Canadiens have played over 100 games this season, and that's going to start to take its toll. In the three losses that the Flyers have handed the Canadiens, Montreal has looked like the slower team, and Philadelphia has taken advantage of that. If they can play like they have in any one of their three wins, then this series will be over in five games.
Ten years ago, the Flyers had a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. That was the last time that they were this close to the Stanley Cup Finals. They then lost the next three games against the New Jersey Devils for one of the worst moments of the last decade. Now, they have a chance to undo a little bit of history. I really don't think that it's going to happen again, but you never know. This team though...it just feels different. Jeff Carter and Ian Laperriere are both back, and it seems like everything is coming together at the right time. Game 5 is Monday night, back in Philadelphia. We'll see what happens then.
Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Red Sox-1
Game Recap:
Home runs by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth helped pace Cole Hamels, who pitched seven strong innings for his fifth win of the season.
What went right?
Ryan Howard was 2-3 with a walk, two runs scored, a home run and two RBI.
Jayson Werth went 2-4 with a two run home run and two runs scored.
Shane Victorino was 1-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Cole Hamels looked sharp, allowing one run on three hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out eight.
What went wrong?
Jimmy Rollins went 1-3, but had to leave the game in the sixth inning when he strained his right calf again.
Placido Polanco went 0-5.
Carlos Ruiz was 0-4.
Game Analysis:
After a game like this, you would hope that the talk would be about how good the Phillies looked last night. Both Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth had two run home runs that got the Phils going on offense, and Cole Hamels had possibly his best outing of the season. Instead, the talk is about Jimmy Rollins and his right calf, which seems to not want to get healthy this season.
Before the Rollins talk starts, the Phils were solid last night against Boston. They managed nine hits off of Boston starter John Lackey and the Red Sox bullpen, and walked five times. Against an American League team, that's exactly what you need to do, and the Phillies did it well last night. They had that patience back at the plate that was so good at the start of the year, and part of it had to do with Rollins being back in the leadoff position for the first time since April. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last long, as the buzz surrounding Rollins' return was shortlived.
In the sixth inning, with the Phillies leading 4-1, Rollins came up limping after a single. Juan Castro replaced him and would score later in the inning, but the focus was once again on Rollins and his calf. The Phils shortstop had been off the disabled list for all of five games, but now he's going back again. This afternoon, the Phillies put Rollins back on the disabled list with another right calf strain, but this time the injury doesn't seem as bad. While the last one was a higher grade strain, this one was apparently a level one, meaning he should be back in two weeks or so. Regardless, the Phils seemed to be getting back into a groove with Rollins in the lineup again, and it sucks to have him be knocked out for another two weeks, at least. This team works so well with him at the top, and without him, there have been games this year where the Phillies have struggled.
Aside from the injury woes, Cole Hamels looked great last night. After giving up a first inning home run, Hamels settled down and allowed just three base runners in the next six innings. His changeup was moving and his fastball had more life on it than at any other time this season. It was good to see the old Cole out there, especially against an American League team. Even though the Red Sox are having a down season at the moment, they are still a dangerous team and can break out a huge offensive performance at any time, so for Hamels to control them like he did was great. Boston showed how good they were with several deep at bats, and still Hamels only gave up three hits and one walk. It was that type of night for Cole, who won his fifth game of the season and dropped his ERA to 3.92. The bullpen had a few moments in attempting to finish what Hamels started, but they did their job.
The scary thing about the Phillies is that they have the best record in the National League and are 11 games over .500 without Jimmy Rollins, J.A. Happ, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson playing with them right now. Add in the fact that Joe Blanton, J.C. Romero, Rollins and Lidge all missed time earlier in the season, too, and you have to wonder how good this team really is. Without their leadoff hitter, closer and top setup man, the Phillies are still playing top level baseball. Eventually, most, if not all of these players will be back in the lineup or rotation. Can you imagine how good this team will be then?
In about ten minutes, the Phils and Red Sox will get on the field for game two of their series. Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 5.24 ERA) goes against Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1, 7.89 ERA).
Home runs by Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth helped pace Cole Hamels, who pitched seven strong innings for his fifth win of the season.
What went right?
Ryan Howard was 2-3 with a walk, two runs scored, a home run and two RBI.
Jayson Werth went 2-4 with a two run home run and two runs scored.
Shane Victorino was 1-2 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Cole Hamels looked sharp, allowing one run on three hits in seven innings. He walked one and struck out eight.
What went wrong?
Jimmy Rollins went 1-3, but had to leave the game in the sixth inning when he strained his right calf again.
Placido Polanco went 0-5.
Carlos Ruiz was 0-4.
Game Analysis:
After a game like this, you would hope that the talk would be about how good the Phillies looked last night. Both Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth had two run home runs that got the Phils going on offense, and Cole Hamels had possibly his best outing of the season. Instead, the talk is about Jimmy Rollins and his right calf, which seems to not want to get healthy this season.
Before the Rollins talk starts, the Phils were solid last night against Boston. They managed nine hits off of Boston starter John Lackey and the Red Sox bullpen, and walked five times. Against an American League team, that's exactly what you need to do, and the Phillies did it well last night. They had that patience back at the plate that was so good at the start of the year, and part of it had to do with Rollins being back in the leadoff position for the first time since April. Unfortunately, it wouldn't last long, as the buzz surrounding Rollins' return was shortlived.
In the sixth inning, with the Phillies leading 4-1, Rollins came up limping after a single. Juan Castro replaced him and would score later in the inning, but the focus was once again on Rollins and his calf. The Phils shortstop had been off the disabled list for all of five games, but now he's going back again. This afternoon, the Phillies put Rollins back on the disabled list with another right calf strain, but this time the injury doesn't seem as bad. While the last one was a higher grade strain, this one was apparently a level one, meaning he should be back in two weeks or so. Regardless, the Phils seemed to be getting back into a groove with Rollins in the lineup again, and it sucks to have him be knocked out for another two weeks, at least. This team works so well with him at the top, and without him, there have been games this year where the Phillies have struggled.
Aside from the injury woes, Cole Hamels looked great last night. After giving up a first inning home run, Hamels settled down and allowed just three base runners in the next six innings. His changeup was moving and his fastball had more life on it than at any other time this season. It was good to see the old Cole out there, especially against an American League team. Even though the Red Sox are having a down season at the moment, they are still a dangerous team and can break out a huge offensive performance at any time, so for Hamels to control them like he did was great. Boston showed how good they were with several deep at bats, and still Hamels only gave up three hits and one walk. It was that type of night for Cole, who won his fifth game of the season and dropped his ERA to 3.92. The bullpen had a few moments in attempting to finish what Hamels started, but they did their job.
The scary thing about the Phillies is that they have the best record in the National League and are 11 games over .500 without Jimmy Rollins, J.A. Happ, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson playing with them right now. Add in the fact that Joe Blanton, J.C. Romero, Rollins and Lidge all missed time earlier in the season, too, and you have to wonder how good this team really is. Without their leadoff hitter, closer and top setup man, the Phillies are still playing top level baseball. Eventually, most, if not all of these players will be back in the lineup or rotation. Can you imagine how good this team will be then?
In about ten minutes, the Phils and Red Sox will get on the field for game two of their series. Kyle Kendrick (2-1, 5.24 ERA) goes against Daisuke Matsuzaka (2-1, 7.89 ERA).
Friday, May 21, 2010
It's official, the Sixers have a head coach
After a night of speculations and reports, the news is now official. As first reported by ESPN.com, the Philadelphia 76ers have hired Doug Collins to be their new head coach. The contract is for four years, and hopefully Collins will last most of that time, as the Sixers have been through enough coaches since Larry Brown left. This is a safe move from the Sixers, but not necessarily an exciting one.
In terms of best coaches available, Collins was near the top of the list this offseason. He's had plenty of coaching experience before, with stops in Chicago, Detroit and Washington and has a career 332-287 record, making him at least better in that regard than Eddie Jordan. He was also the first overall pick by the Sixers back in 1973, so he has history in this town, and his work ethic was second to none as a player in Philadelphia. Coming to a team with young talent that gave up on the head coach last year, having a coach with a strong work ethic that he can pass along to his team is a very important thing to keep in mind.
That being said, this move is pretty neutral. The Sixers needed a head coach, and they got a head coach. Collins has never set the world on fire with his coaching ability, and all three teams he manned actually got better once he left. He's not the biggest name that's out there, and certainly isn't a name that's going to bring that much attention to Philadelphia, but the Sixers could have made worse choices as well. This isn't a bad move, but it's just a simple move, nothing more. It's not like bringing in a Phil Jackson or Pat Riley or someone just below that level. It's about bringing in a head coach with experience and the skill to lead players and make them better, and that's what Collins can do. He's not going to lose the team like Eddie Jordan did last year, but he's going to have to work to make them better.
This upcoming draft, with Collins at the helm of the team now, is going to set the stage for the Sixers for the rest of the decade. The biggest issue with this team is that they don't have that "give me the ball" player than Allen Iverson was in his prime in Philadelphia. Instead, they have a bunch of young players, like Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights, Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks, mixed in with older players such as Samuel Dalembert, a square peg in a round hole like Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala, who tried to become that superstar and was never able to reach that level. Where the Sixers go with the 2nd pick in the draft is any one's guess, but whomever they pick is going to have to at least get close to that superstar level. That's what teams expect out of the 2nd pick in the draft, and that's what the Sixers need. Honestly, they need help at just about every position, but if they pick the wrong player, the team could even move backwards again. If they trade the pick for veterans...I don't even want to talk about it.
Regardless, Doug Collins is the new head coach, and I wish him the best of luck. As long as he lasts longer than Eddie Jordan, he's ok in my book.
In terms of best coaches available, Collins was near the top of the list this offseason. He's had plenty of coaching experience before, with stops in Chicago, Detroit and Washington and has a career 332-287 record, making him at least better in that regard than Eddie Jordan. He was also the first overall pick by the Sixers back in 1973, so he has history in this town, and his work ethic was second to none as a player in Philadelphia. Coming to a team with young talent that gave up on the head coach last year, having a coach with a strong work ethic that he can pass along to his team is a very important thing to keep in mind.
That being said, this move is pretty neutral. The Sixers needed a head coach, and they got a head coach. Collins has never set the world on fire with his coaching ability, and all three teams he manned actually got better once he left. He's not the biggest name that's out there, and certainly isn't a name that's going to bring that much attention to Philadelphia, but the Sixers could have made worse choices as well. This isn't a bad move, but it's just a simple move, nothing more. It's not like bringing in a Phil Jackson or Pat Riley or someone just below that level. It's about bringing in a head coach with experience and the skill to lead players and make them better, and that's what Collins can do. He's not going to lose the team like Eddie Jordan did last year, but he's going to have to work to make them better.
This upcoming draft, with Collins at the helm of the team now, is going to set the stage for the Sixers for the rest of the decade. The biggest issue with this team is that they don't have that "give me the ball" player than Allen Iverson was in his prime in Philadelphia. Instead, they have a bunch of young players, like Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights, Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday and Jodie Meeks, mixed in with older players such as Samuel Dalembert, a square peg in a round hole like Elton Brand and Andre Iguodala, who tried to become that superstar and was never able to reach that level. Where the Sixers go with the 2nd pick in the draft is any one's guess, but whomever they pick is going to have to at least get close to that superstar level. That's what teams expect out of the 2nd pick in the draft, and that's what the Sixers need. Honestly, they need help at just about every position, but if they pick the wrong player, the team could even move backwards again. If they trade the pick for veterans...I don't even want to talk about it.
Regardless, Doug Collins is the new head coach, and I wish him the best of luck. As long as he lasts longer than Eddie Jordan, he's ok in my book.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Well, Game 3 could have gone better...
No one really expected the Flyers to sweep Montreal right out of the way in the Eastern Conference Finals, did they? Even after the Flyers took care of business against the Canadiens in the first two games in Philadelphia, they still had to go to Montreal for the next two games, and you know that Canadien fans had their sights set on this game since Game 7 of the second round came to a close. Tonight, Montreal was the better team as they finally figured out how to get a puck past Michael Leighton and stop the Philadelphia attack at Jaroslav Halak, as they cruised to a 5-1 victory that cut the Flyer lead in the series to 2-1.
Over the past two games, the Canadiens have said that they need to get more people in front of the net to create chances while they're on offense. Tonight, they were able to work that plan with extreme precision from their very first goal on. Mike Cammalleri finally got his first goal of the series in the first period to start things off for Montreal, and it was all downhill for the Flyers after that. Tom Pyatt added a second goal in traffic later in the first to put Montreal up 2-0, and the Canadiens weren't done yet, scoring twice more to put the game out of reach by early in the third period and then adding one final goal as the final period came to a close.
This game wasn't all on Michael Leighton, though. To be honest, he played well and never gave up. He made several good saves, but when there's traffic in front of the net, and bounces are going the wrong way after going the right way for the first two games, there's not much you can do about that. It also didn't help that Chris Pronger's turnover in the first period allowed Montreal to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission and gave them even more momentum heading into the second period. All in all, it was just a poor game from the Flyers, who have shown much more than what they did tonight in the playoffs.
In the long run, this game didn't really prove anything. Most people knew that the Canadiens weren't going to go down without a fight, because they've done just that in the first two rounds of the playoffs. They came back from a 3-1 hole against the top team in the Eastern Conference and a 3-2 hole against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Montreal is a tough team to finish off, and they showed that again tonight. This series isn't going to be an easy one to finish for either team.
On the opposite side of the coin, the Flyers clearly aren't as poor of a team as they were tonight. They didn't get the bounces tonight, and they allowed Montreal to create traffic in front of Michael Leighton, which were two things that they had going their way in the first two games of this series. However, just as most people knew that Montreal wasn't going to go away, those same people knew that the Flyers weren't going to win every game in the Eastern Conference Finals by shutout and they would have to play with their backs against the wall at some point and time. Tonight wasn't pretty for Philadelphia, but I think they needed it. The Canadiens came out at home for the first time in ten days and hit the Flyers right in the mouth. Now, the ball is back in Philadelphia's court. Game 4 is Saturday afternoon, and a win by the Flyers gives them a chance to close out the series in Philadelphia in Game 5.
I think the Flyers would love a chance to close things out that way, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it, either.
Over the past two games, the Canadiens have said that they need to get more people in front of the net to create chances while they're on offense. Tonight, they were able to work that plan with extreme precision from their very first goal on. Mike Cammalleri finally got his first goal of the series in the first period to start things off for Montreal, and it was all downhill for the Flyers after that. Tom Pyatt added a second goal in traffic later in the first to put Montreal up 2-0, and the Canadiens weren't done yet, scoring twice more to put the game out of reach by early in the third period and then adding one final goal as the final period came to a close.
This game wasn't all on Michael Leighton, though. To be honest, he played well and never gave up. He made several good saves, but when there's traffic in front of the net, and bounces are going the wrong way after going the right way for the first two games, there's not much you can do about that. It also didn't help that Chris Pronger's turnover in the first period allowed Montreal to take a 2-0 lead into the first intermission and gave them even more momentum heading into the second period. All in all, it was just a poor game from the Flyers, who have shown much more than what they did tonight in the playoffs.
In the long run, this game didn't really prove anything. Most people knew that the Canadiens weren't going to go down without a fight, because they've done just that in the first two rounds of the playoffs. They came back from a 3-1 hole against the top team in the Eastern Conference and a 3-2 hole against the defending Stanley Cup Champions. Montreal is a tough team to finish off, and they showed that again tonight. This series isn't going to be an easy one to finish for either team.
On the opposite side of the coin, the Flyers clearly aren't as poor of a team as they were tonight. They didn't get the bounces tonight, and they allowed Montreal to create traffic in front of Michael Leighton, which were two things that they had going their way in the first two games of this series. However, just as most people knew that Montreal wasn't going to go away, those same people knew that the Flyers weren't going to win every game in the Eastern Conference Finals by shutout and they would have to play with their backs against the wall at some point and time. Tonight wasn't pretty for Philadelphia, but I think they needed it. The Canadiens came out at home for the first time in ten days and hit the Flyers right in the mouth. Now, the ball is back in Philadelphia's court. Game 4 is Saturday afternoon, and a win by the Flyers gives them a chance to close out the series in Philadelphia in Game 5.
I think the Flyers would love a chance to close things out that way, and I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it, either.
Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Cubs-4
Game Recap:
The Phils got home runs out of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, but it was Raul Ibanez's single in the bottom of the eighth inning that allowed the Phillies to split their two game series with the Cubs.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 2-4 and scored a run.
Chase Utley was 1-2 with two walks, a solo home run and three runs scored.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-3 with a three run home run.
Raul Ibanez was 2-4 with an RBI.
Joe Blanton pitched well, going seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Jose Contreras pitched in and out of trouble in the ninth, allowing the Cubs to get runners on the corners with no outs before retiring the side for his second straight save.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-4.
Ryan Howard went 0-3 with a walk.
Ross Gload batted twice and was 0-2.
Paul Hoover went 0-3.
Antonio Bastardo faced only one batter in the top of the eighth...and gave up a game tying home run.
Game Analysis:
After not getting anything from their offense over the past two games, the Phillies came out and set an early tone this afternoon, as Chase Utley launched a Ryan Dempster pitch into the seats in the first inning. Fom there, the Phils would add three more runs on a Jimmy Rollins home run in the sixth inning, but it came down to a clutch hit by Raul Ibanez and clutch pitching by Jose Contreras to give the Phillies their first win in three games.
The Phils got home runs out of Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley, but it was Raul Ibanez's single in the bottom of the eighth inning that allowed the Phillies to split their two game series with the Cubs.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 2-4 and scored a run.
Chase Utley was 1-2 with two walks, a solo home run and three runs scored.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-3 with a three run home run.
Raul Ibanez was 2-4 with an RBI.
Joe Blanton pitched well, going seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Jose Contreras pitched in and out of trouble in the ninth, allowing the Cubs to get runners on the corners with no outs before retiring the side for his second straight save.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-4.
Ryan Howard went 0-3 with a walk.
Ross Gload batted twice and was 0-2.
Paul Hoover went 0-3.
Antonio Bastardo faced only one batter in the top of the eighth...and gave up a game tying home run.
Game Analysis:
After not getting anything from their offense over the past two games, the Phillies came out and set an early tone this afternoon, as Chase Utley launched a Ryan Dempster pitch into the seats in the first inning. Fom there, the Phils would add three more runs on a Jimmy Rollins home run in the sixth inning, but it came down to a clutch hit by Raul Ibanez and clutch pitching by Jose Contreras to give the Phillies their first win in three games.
The offense was better today after scoring just two runs in the last two games against average pitching. Today, the Phils got runners on and actually drove them home. Though four of their five runs came on home runs, it was the final run that scored that was the biggest. With two outs in the inning, Raul Ibanez singled home Chase Utley from second with what turned out to be the game winning run. That's the same kind of play that this team had last year and for much of this year as well. When the chips are down, someone is going to step up and make a big play at the plate. Today, it was Ibanez, but tomorrow, it could be any one of the eight position players that comes to the plate in a key situation. The Phillies were also patient at the plate, walking four times compared to just three strikeouts. It wasn't their best performance on offense, but after the last two games, it was good enough.
In his fourth start of the season, Joe Blanton had another typical "Joe Blanton" start, which is that he went seven innings and allowed anywhere from three to five runs. That's what the Phillies should expect out of Blanton, and he delivered today. He was pitching even better than that through the first four innings, but he gave up a run in the fifth and then two in the seventh before getting out of trouble. Though he only threw 71 pitches, I think Charlie Manuel might have taken him out of the game at that point not only because he didn't want to risk Blanton reaggravating his injury, but he saw how Blanton had pitched in the seventh inning. In most of Blanton's starts, he has one big inning where he gives up a few runs. Though the seventh wouldn't count as a big inning, I think Charlie could see that the eighth inning could turn out that way, and decided to nip things in the bud before they even happened.
Of course, all of that didn't matter, since Antonio Bastardo allowed a Kosuke Fukudome home run to lead off the top of the eighth inning and tie the game. Luckily for Bastardo, Danys Baez came in and settled things down for the rest of the inning, and the Phils took the lead back thanks to the Ibanez single in the bottom of the eighth. Then, came the ninth, where Jose Contreras faced his first true closer situation. He hit Alfonso Soriano after an 11 pitch at bat, then had him advance to third on a Mike Fontenot single, putting runners on the corners for Starlin Castro, Chicago's best prospect. Contreras fought back and got Castro to strike out, then did the same to Aramis Ramirez before getting Geovany Soto to pop up to end the game. That is the kind of moment that Contreras was going to need to experience while still getting his feet wet at the closer position. There are going to be one run games in the ninth inning where you make mistakes and put men on. The toughest thing to do is to not let the situation get to you and make even more mistakes. Today, Contreras did just that and showed that he might just be the best pitcher for the job until Brad Lidge comes back again. That's exactly what the Phillies needed today, and they got it.
Tomorrow, interleague play kicks off for the first time this season as the Phillies welcome in the Boston Red Sox. Cole Hamels (4-2, 4.29 ERA) will go against John Lackey (4-2, 4.86 ERA).
Phillies Recap: Cubs-4, Phillies-1
Game Recap:
Despite seven innings and seven strikeouts from Jamie Moyer, the Phillies only managed five hits and a single run for the second straight game as they lost to the Chicago Cubs.
What went right?
Ryan Howard was 1-4 with an RBI.
Jamie Moyer may have gotten the loss, but he pitched well, allowing just two runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino went 0-4.
Jayson Werth was 0-4.
Carlos Ruiz was 0-2.
Chad Durbin pitched one and a third innings and helped put the game out of reach, allowing two runs on one hit. He walked two and struck out two.
J.C. Romero didn't fare much better, giving up a single hit, but it was the one that allowed two runs to score on Chad Durbin's tab. He did strike out two, though.
Game Analysis:
For two games in a row, the Phillies have been unable to do anything on offense, but I'm not that worried yet. The starting pitching has been great, and the offense will get back on track, so everything that is happening right now with this team isn't anything to worry about at the moment. Two runs in their last 18 innings is a problem, but it's not anything major. This team will bounce back and play well again, it's that simple.
Tonight, Jamie Moyer may have gotten the loss, but like Roy Halladay last night, he pitched well enough to win. Anytime you can get seven innings and two runs allowed out of Jamie Moyer, something is going right, and that's all there is to it. If the Phils can't match his effort, he's going to lose, but he deserves to win in a situation like this. Tonight, that wasn't the case, but he'll have other chances as the season goes on. It's a shame to have him waste one of his best efforts on the season in a loss, but that's the way it has to be sometimes. Moyer pitched well, but the offense and bullpen let him down, so he got hit with the undeserved loss. It's a shame, but it's part of baseball.
For the last two games, the Phils haven't been able to get anything going on offense, but these stretches happen during a 162 game season. Remember, the Phillies scored 12 runs on Monday night, so this team can score runs whenever they please, but every team goes through stretches where they can't score. It just so happens that these droughts happen most often when a team has a high scoring output in their previous game. For the Phillies, it's been two games since they've had a good showing on offense, but this team isn't going to stay quiet for long. With everyone back on offense for the first time since the home opener, this team is going to score runs, it's just a matter of when, not if. Chase Utley came back tonight and batted third, and everyone that was in the season opener played on offense tonight. Runs are going to score, and if they get efforts from their starters like they did tonight, they have nothing to worry about.
I still don't think that this team has any issues at the moment. The Phils are still three games up in the National League East, and are the highest scoring team in the National League, so I don't think it's anything to worry about. The Phils are going to bounce back from this little downswing on offense, it's going to be just fine.
Tomorrow, the Phils go for the series split with the Cubs, as Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.49 ERA), faces off against Ryan Dempster (2-4, 3.49 ERA).
Despite seven innings and seven strikeouts from Jamie Moyer, the Phillies only managed five hits and a single run for the second straight game as they lost to the Chicago Cubs.
What went right?
Ryan Howard was 1-4 with an RBI.
Jamie Moyer may have gotten the loss, but he pitched well, allowing just two runs on four hits in seven innings. He struck out seven and walked one.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino went 0-4.
Jayson Werth was 0-4.
Carlos Ruiz was 0-2.
Chad Durbin pitched one and a third innings and helped put the game out of reach, allowing two runs on one hit. He walked two and struck out two.
J.C. Romero didn't fare much better, giving up a single hit, but it was the one that allowed two runs to score on Chad Durbin's tab. He did strike out two, though.
Game Analysis:
For two games in a row, the Phillies have been unable to do anything on offense, but I'm not that worried yet. The starting pitching has been great, and the offense will get back on track, so everything that is happening right now with this team isn't anything to worry about at the moment. Two runs in their last 18 innings is a problem, but it's not anything major. This team will bounce back and play well again, it's that simple.
Tonight, Jamie Moyer may have gotten the loss, but like Roy Halladay last night, he pitched well enough to win. Anytime you can get seven innings and two runs allowed out of Jamie Moyer, something is going right, and that's all there is to it. If the Phils can't match his effort, he's going to lose, but he deserves to win in a situation like this. Tonight, that wasn't the case, but he'll have other chances as the season goes on. It's a shame to have him waste one of his best efforts on the season in a loss, but that's the way it has to be sometimes. Moyer pitched well, but the offense and bullpen let him down, so he got hit with the undeserved loss. It's a shame, but it's part of baseball.
For the last two games, the Phils haven't been able to get anything going on offense, but these stretches happen during a 162 game season. Remember, the Phillies scored 12 runs on Monday night, so this team can score runs whenever they please, but every team goes through stretches where they can't score. It just so happens that these droughts happen most often when a team has a high scoring output in their previous game. For the Phillies, it's been two games since they've had a good showing on offense, but this team isn't going to stay quiet for long. With everyone back on offense for the first time since the home opener, this team is going to score runs, it's just a matter of when, not if. Chase Utley came back tonight and batted third, and everyone that was in the season opener played on offense tonight. Runs are going to score, and if they get efforts from their starters like they did tonight, they have nothing to worry about.
I still don't think that this team has any issues at the moment. The Phils are still three games up in the National League East, and are the highest scoring team in the National League, so I don't think it's anything to worry about. The Phils are going to bounce back from this little downswing on offense, it's going to be just fine.
Tomorrow, the Phils go for the series split with the Cubs, as Joe Blanton (1-2, 5.49 ERA), faces off against Ryan Dempster (2-4, 3.49 ERA).
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Leights out for Montreal: Flyers up 2-0
When you try and put a dominant Game 1 victory behind you, coming out and being outshot 16-6 in the first period of Game 2 normally isn't the way to get that done. However, Michael Leighton stopped all 30 shots the Canadiens threw at him tonight, and the Flyers did their job on the power play as they took a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals, moving them to within two games of their first Stanley Cup Finals in 13 years.
The story of the game tonight begins and ends with Michael Leighton. Ever since he was forced back into the starting goalie postion, thanks to Brian Boucher's injury, he's been nothing but clutch. After giving up three goals in the first period of Game 7 against Boston, Leighton has been lights out, shutting out the Bruins in the last two periods of Game 7 and becoming the first Flyers goalie to record back to back playoff shutouts since Bernie Parent back in 1975. That's pretty good company right there. He did his best work tonight, keeping Montreal off the board in a period that they completely dominated. The Canadiens worked the Flyers over in the first period, but Leighton was able to keep them from scoring a single time, and the Flyers were able to strike first on a power play goal by Danny Briere just four minutes into the game. From there, it became a battle of Leighton against the Montreal offense, and Leighton was more than up to the challenge. I don't know why the Flyers were able to claim him off of waivers from Nashville, but I'm not going to complain. Ever since he came to Philadelphia, he's been lights out, and now he has the Flyers just two wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals.
The offense was on point once again tonight, even with the reduced number of shots. Danny Briere is simply on fire right now, and he scored his ninth goal in 11 playoff games. For all of those people that thought Briere was overpaid on his way out of Philadelphia, I want to apologize. Without him playing right now, the Flyers wouldn't have made it this far, and he isn't showing any signs of stopping at the moment, either. He's the hottest player in the playoffs at the moment, and he's just been on point since the mid-way point of the New Jersey series. Right now, I wouldn't want to play for Montreal, because then I would have to try and stop him. The same can be said for Simon Gagne, who scored his sixth goal of the playoffs tonight. Ever since he came back into the lineup, the Flyers have been on a different level, and Gagne just might be why. He scored again tonight, giving him a point in every game that he's played in since he returned, and six goals since his return as well. At this point, I want every Flyer to break their foot and come back quickly, since it worked so well for Gagne.
The power play was on point again tonight, as the Flyers scored twice while keeping Montreal from picking up a goal on the man advantage. The Canadiens went 0-4 on the power play, which is one of the big reasons why the Flyers have 2-0 lead in the series right now. So far, everything is going the way of the Flyers, and that includes trips on the man advantage. Briere and Gagne scored with Philadelphia on the power play, and the goal by Gagne seemed to take Montreal completely out of the game. The power play by the Flyers had been the biggest reason why they are up 2-0 right now, and Montreal is going to have to try and stop that if they want to even get back in the series.
I don't think this series is over yet, not by a longshot. The Canadiens have been the team in the playoffs that have been impossible to write off, having come back from 3-1 and 3-2 holes against Washington and Pittsburgh. Until the Flyers have the lead in the final game and the horn is sounding, I'm going to believe that Montreal can come back. Right now, though, things are going Philadelphia's way. Michael Leighton is playing even better than he did before his injury, and the offense is on fire right now with Danny Briere and Simon Gagne playing as well as they are. Even with all of that, this team has to put the last two games behind them and try to focus only on Game 3 in Montreal. The Canadien fans are going to be crazy with their team down two games, and it's only going to get worse if the Flyers let them take the lead. The Flyers have Montreal against the ropes, and they have to finish them off before they can come back. I think they can do that.
The story of the game tonight begins and ends with Michael Leighton. Ever since he was forced back into the starting goalie postion, thanks to Brian Boucher's injury, he's been nothing but clutch. After giving up three goals in the first period of Game 7 against Boston, Leighton has been lights out, shutting out the Bruins in the last two periods of Game 7 and becoming the first Flyers goalie to record back to back playoff shutouts since Bernie Parent back in 1975. That's pretty good company right there. He did his best work tonight, keeping Montreal off the board in a period that they completely dominated. The Canadiens worked the Flyers over in the first period, but Leighton was able to keep them from scoring a single time, and the Flyers were able to strike first on a power play goal by Danny Briere just four minutes into the game. From there, it became a battle of Leighton against the Montreal offense, and Leighton was more than up to the challenge. I don't know why the Flyers were able to claim him off of waivers from Nashville, but I'm not going to complain. Ever since he came to Philadelphia, he's been lights out, and now he has the Flyers just two wins away from the Stanley Cup Finals.
The offense was on point once again tonight, even with the reduced number of shots. Danny Briere is simply on fire right now, and he scored his ninth goal in 11 playoff games. For all of those people that thought Briere was overpaid on his way out of Philadelphia, I want to apologize. Without him playing right now, the Flyers wouldn't have made it this far, and he isn't showing any signs of stopping at the moment, either. He's the hottest player in the playoffs at the moment, and he's just been on point since the mid-way point of the New Jersey series. Right now, I wouldn't want to play for Montreal, because then I would have to try and stop him. The same can be said for Simon Gagne, who scored his sixth goal of the playoffs tonight. Ever since he came back into the lineup, the Flyers have been on a different level, and Gagne just might be why. He scored again tonight, giving him a point in every game that he's played in since he returned, and six goals since his return as well. At this point, I want every Flyer to break their foot and come back quickly, since it worked so well for Gagne.
The power play was on point again tonight, as the Flyers scored twice while keeping Montreal from picking up a goal on the man advantage. The Canadiens went 0-4 on the power play, which is one of the big reasons why the Flyers have 2-0 lead in the series right now. So far, everything is going the way of the Flyers, and that includes trips on the man advantage. Briere and Gagne scored with Philadelphia on the power play, and the goal by Gagne seemed to take Montreal completely out of the game. The power play by the Flyers had been the biggest reason why they are up 2-0 right now, and Montreal is going to have to try and stop that if they want to even get back in the series.
I don't think this series is over yet, not by a longshot. The Canadiens have been the team in the playoffs that have been impossible to write off, having come back from 3-1 and 3-2 holes against Washington and Pittsburgh. Until the Flyers have the lead in the final game and the horn is sounding, I'm going to believe that Montreal can come back. Right now, though, things are going Philadelphia's way. Michael Leighton is playing even better than he did before his injury, and the offense is on fire right now with Danny Briere and Simon Gagne playing as well as they are. Even with all of that, this team has to put the last two games behind them and try to focus only on Game 3 in Montreal. The Canadien fans are going to be crazy with their team down two games, and it's only going to get worse if the Flyers let them take the lead. The Flyers have Montreal against the ropes, and they have to finish them off before they can come back. I think they can do that.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Phillies Recap: Pirates-2, Phillies-1
Game Recap:
Roy Halladay pitched a complete game, but got hit with the loss, as the Phillies could only muster one run on six hits against Zach Duke and the Pittsburgh bullpen.
What went right?
This won't take long.
Ryan Howard went 3-4 with a run scored.
Roy Halladay got the loss tonight, but it wasn't because of him. He pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on nine hits. He walked one batter and struck out six.
What went wrong?
The Phillies had three errors.
Placido Polanco went 0-4.
Jimmy Rollins was 0-4.
Ben Francisco was 0-4.
Carlos Ruiz went 0-3.
Juan Castro had an RBI, but also had one of the three errors the Phils had.
Game Analysis:
Sometimes, after riding a hot offense for a few games, the offense goes cold. That was the case tonight, as the Phillies managed only one run and six hits in support of Roy Halladay. The Doc got pegged with a loss tonight, but he didn't deserve it. Nine hits and two runs in a complete game effort is certainly worth getting a win, but tonight he couldn't do it. The Phillies just didn't have an answer for Zach Duke and the Pittsburgh bullpen, as they were shutdown against the Pirates.
The offense just had nothing tonight from the start of the game. When your top three hitters in the lineup go a combined 1-12, then you know something is wrong. Tonight, that was the case for the Phillies, as only Shane Victorino was able to get a hit from the top of the lineup. Ryan Howard had three of the six hits for the Phillies, and no other position player had more than a single hit, meaning the Phils had very few chances to score runs, and they didn't take advantage of those chances when they had them. In the fifth inning, Juan Castro brought Ryan Howard home with a single, but Jayson Werth was thrown out at the plate. That was the last real chance the Phillies had to take the lead, and instead they let Pittsburgh take it back in the very next inning when the Pirates manufactured a run. It just wasn't a pretty game tonight.
I'm not going to pin this loss on Roy Halladay, because I can't. Anytime that a pitcher can throw a complete game loss, something is going right on the mound, and something is going very wrong at the plate. Halladay was his usual dominant self, allowing just two runs in his effort. However, his nine hits were a bit high, but he still managed to get out of a lot of trouble, even with his defense committing three errors with him out there. This is the second start in a row that the offense hasn't done much for Halladay while he's been out there, and I hope it's not a trend, because even Roy Halladay needs runs to win games. Losing 2-1 complete games is not a fun thing to keep doing during the season.
Regardless, this is just a single game, and it's nothing to worry about. With this offense, you are going to get games where they just can't seem to score runs, and one of those games was tonight. Roy Halladay pitched very well, but there's no answer for a bad offense. Luckily, the Phils still have a decent lead on first place in the National League East, and I fully expect them to bounce back as this week goes on. One loss is nothing to get worked up about, not in a long Major League Baseball season.
Tomorrow, the Phillies open a two game series against the Cubs. Jamie Moyer (5-2, 4.57 ERA) will face off against Tom Gorzelanny (1-4, 3.60 ERA).
Roy Halladay pitched a complete game, but got hit with the loss, as the Phillies could only muster one run on six hits against Zach Duke and the Pittsburgh bullpen.
What went right?
This won't take long.
Ryan Howard went 3-4 with a run scored.
Roy Halladay got the loss tonight, but it wasn't because of him. He pitched a complete game, allowing two runs on nine hits. He walked one batter and struck out six.
What went wrong?
The Phillies had three errors.
Placido Polanco went 0-4.
Jimmy Rollins was 0-4.
Ben Francisco was 0-4.
Carlos Ruiz went 0-3.
Juan Castro had an RBI, but also had one of the three errors the Phils had.
Game Analysis:
Sometimes, after riding a hot offense for a few games, the offense goes cold. That was the case tonight, as the Phillies managed only one run and six hits in support of Roy Halladay. The Doc got pegged with a loss tonight, but he didn't deserve it. Nine hits and two runs in a complete game effort is certainly worth getting a win, but tonight he couldn't do it. The Phillies just didn't have an answer for Zach Duke and the Pittsburgh bullpen, as they were shutdown against the Pirates.
The offense just had nothing tonight from the start of the game. When your top three hitters in the lineup go a combined 1-12, then you know something is wrong. Tonight, that was the case for the Phillies, as only Shane Victorino was able to get a hit from the top of the lineup. Ryan Howard had three of the six hits for the Phillies, and no other position player had more than a single hit, meaning the Phils had very few chances to score runs, and they didn't take advantage of those chances when they had them. In the fifth inning, Juan Castro brought Ryan Howard home with a single, but Jayson Werth was thrown out at the plate. That was the last real chance the Phillies had to take the lead, and instead they let Pittsburgh take it back in the very next inning when the Pirates manufactured a run. It just wasn't a pretty game tonight.
I'm not going to pin this loss on Roy Halladay, because I can't. Anytime that a pitcher can throw a complete game loss, something is going right on the mound, and something is going very wrong at the plate. Halladay was his usual dominant self, allowing just two runs in his effort. However, his nine hits were a bit high, but he still managed to get out of a lot of trouble, even with his defense committing three errors with him out there. This is the second start in a row that the offense hasn't done much for Halladay while he's been out there, and I hope it's not a trend, because even Roy Halladay needs runs to win games. Losing 2-1 complete games is not a fun thing to keep doing during the season.
Regardless, this is just a single game, and it's nothing to worry about. With this offense, you are going to get games where they just can't seem to score runs, and one of those games was tonight. Roy Halladay pitched very well, but there's no answer for a bad offense. Luckily, the Phils still have a decent lead on first place in the National League East, and I fully expect them to bounce back as this week goes on. One loss is nothing to get worked up about, not in a long Major League Baseball season.
Tomorrow, the Phillies open a two game series against the Cubs. Jamie Moyer (5-2, 4.57 ERA) will face off against Tom Gorzelanny (1-4, 3.60 ERA).
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