Phillies Recap: Phillies-10, Mets-0

Game Recap:

Cliff Lee's seven shutout innings were the icing on the cake, as the Phillies scored ten runs against the New York Mets to move their record to 82-44 on the season.

What went right?

Shane Victorino was 1-4 with a two run triple.

Placido Polanco made his return from the disabled list and went 2-4.

Hunter Pence was 2-3 on the night with two walks, a two run home run and four runs scored.

John Mayberry went 1-3 with a two run home run and a bases loaded walk.

Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 and drove in two runs.

Wilson freaking Valdez continued to be one of the most clutch hitters that the Phillies have, going 1-3 with the game winning RBI. Sure, it happened in the second inning, but it still counts.

Cliff Lee pitched seven shutout innings to earn his 14th win of the season. He walked three, struck out seven and allowed three hits. He also went 1-4 at the plate and scored a run.

David Herndon pitched the last two innings of the game, giving up two hits while striking out one.

What went wrong?

Chase Utley went 0-4.

Ryan Howard was 1-4 with three strikeouts.

Game Analysis:

What the Phillies needed tonight was a good game against the Mets to follow their disappointing series against the Nationals this past weekend. What they got was not just a good game, but a great one, as the Phils blasted rookie Dillon Gee for eight runs in less than four innings for what turned out to be a 10-0 win.

Even with Jimmy Rollins going on the disabled list today, the offense was more than ready for the Mets. Shane Victorino had a two run triple in the second inning, and every Phillie, save for Chase Utley, had a hit in the game. Placido Polanco came off the DL and had two hits, and John Mayberry continued his incredible hot streak with a two run home run, giving him 11 on the season now, which is good for fifth on the team. That's not too bad considering he's only played in 75 games this season. The best part about that is that Mayberry only got the start tonight because Raul Ibanez was scratched from the starting lineup with a sore groin. At least Mayberry made it pay off.

Cliff Lee was on the mound tonight, and he pitched another solid start, making this August look like June did for him. While Lee did walk three batters tonight, he added to his career high in strikeouts for a season, and won his fourth game in the month of August and fifth game in a row. Even with his poor July showing, there's nothing to suggest that Lee won't be ready for the playoffs, and even if he does struggle in September, he's been great in every other month, so October will be right up his alley. That being said, giving up two runs in the entire month of August isn't too bad. Having 14 wins as the number two pitcher doesn't hurt, either.

All things considered, tonight was the best possible outcome for the Phillies. They not only bounced back from a bad series against Washington, but they completely destroyed the Mets, at home, and had Cliff Lee pitch seven shut out innings. Jimmy Rollins is on the disabled list for at least a few weeks, but with the way Wilson Valdez is hitting in the clutch, it might not matter right now. The night wasn't perfect, but very few are. With the win, the Phillies are still six and a half games up on the Braves for the division, and 15 games up in the Wild Card, if it comes to that.

Yeah, I think that this team is going to make the playoffs.

Tomorrow, the Phillies and Mets square off in game two of this three game series. Vance Worley (8-1, 2.76 ERA) will go against Jonathan Niese (11-10, 4.05 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Nationals-5, Phillies-4

Game Recap:

The Phillies had the Nationals down to their last strike, but Ian Desmond hit a game tying home run off of Antonio Bastardo, and then Jonny Gomes was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the 10th, giving Washington their second walk off win of the series against the Phillies.

What went right?

Chase Utley was 1-5 with his ninth home run of the season.

Raul Ibanez went 1-3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with a two run home run.

Michael Martinez was 1-4 and put the Phillies ahead with his RBI single in the top of the ninth inning.

Michael Schwimer gave up a home run to the very first batter he faced in the major leagues, but then worked three innings of two hit baseball, including striking out the side in the seventh inning.

What went wrong?

Jimmy Rollins was 0-2 before leaving the game with a right groin strain. He's day to day at the moment.

Hunter Pence was 0-4 with a strikeout.

Antonio Bastardo struck out the first two batters he faced, and had Ian Desmond down to his last strike, but gave up a game tying home run in the ninth inning for his first blown save of the year.

Brad Lidge was in trouble early in the 10th and never got out of hit, giving up the rare walk off hit by pitch to end the game.

Game Analysis:

Boy, there haven't been many of these games for the Phillies this year, have there? I mean, aside from Friday's game, that is. The Phillies went into the ninth inning today with Antonio Bastardo having struck out the first two National batters that he faced. The remaining, rain soaked crowd was mostly Phillies fans, who were on their feet, ready for a final strikeout. The only problem was that Bastardo threw one bad pitch in the inning, and Ian Desmond hit it into the left field seats for a game tying home run. Brad Lidge did next to nothing in the 10th inning, loading the bases before recording a strike out of his own, and then hitting Jonny Gomes to end the game. It wasn't a good way to end the series for the Phils, that's for sure.

The weather played a factor once again, limiting Roy Halladay to just five innings of work. Halladay wasn't as sharp as he usually is, allowing seven hits and two runs in those five innings, but he was still pitching well enough to go another inning or two without a problem. Instead, the rain came in, and rookie Michael Schwimer got to make his major league debut. Two pitches into it, Danny Espinosa greeted him with a home run that tied the game.

Fortunately for the young kid, things only got better from there, as Schwimer retired eight Washington batters in a row, including striking out the side in the seventh inning. He didn't look bad at all out on the mound, giving up just two hits, both to Espinosa, and striking out four. All in all, it was a good first showing, and he was in line for the win today before the bottom of the ninth.

Just like they did the entire series, the offense did a little bit, but had the Phillies in the lead going into the bottom of the ninth inning. Carlos Ruiz tied the game up in the second inning with a two run home run before Chase Utley gave the Phils the lead in the third with a solo home run of his own. Ruiz would help out again in the ninth, singling Raul Ibanez into scoring position for Michael Martinez. Mini-Mart singled back up the middle, scoring Ibanez and putting the Phillies on top once again.

Just the other day, I was praising both Ryan Madson and Antonio Bastardo. Well, in this series against the Nationals, Madson and Bastardo both blew saves and the Phillies lost both of those games. I don't think it's going to become a trend, since both pitchers have had stellar years, so I'm not too concerned. However, those two are going to be the back end of the rotation in the playoffs, so if they do struggle, it won't be pretty. For now, I'm willing to give them a pass on this series. The Nationals, for whatever reason, always have played the Phillies tough, and they now have 19 wins in their last at bat, so they don't give up easily. A series like this was bound to happen.

The bigger concern is about Jimmy Rollins and his strained groin. He's scheduled for an MRI tomorrow, and hopefully it won't reveal anything too major. Even with Placido Polanco coming off the DL tomorrow, the last thing that the Phils really need is another starter going out for a month or so. Rollins has battled through injuries before, so hopefully he can do the same with this one, but a groin strain isn't just something you can play through without discomfort. If he can't go, Wilson Valdez or Michael Martinez will obviously play in his place. For now, Rollins is day to day.

Everyone needs to just step back and breathe a little bit. Did the Phillies blow saves in two of the three games in this series? Yes they did, but before that, they had only blown one save all season long. Having three blown saves near the end of August isn't too bad, right? Besides, the Braves are still a way's back in the division, and this series should prove to have been a launching point for the rest of season. This isn't the end of the world, just remember that.

Tomorrow, the Phils are back at home to take on the New York Mets. Cliff Lee (13-7, 2.82 ERA) will pitch for the Phillies, while Jonathan Niese (11-10, 4.05 ERA) goes for the Mets.

Phillie of the Week: August 14-20

Due to weather, the Phils had a shortened schedule over the past seven days, only playing five games and going 3-2 in those five. While not that impressive compared to the rest of the season, the team still put up solid numbers. A few players stood out, including one young man who is looking for some more playing time. This week's Phillie of the Week is:

John Mayberry

Mayberry has been lights out since he came back up from the minor leagues, and this week was no different. In the five games he played, Mayberry had seven hits in 15 at bats, good for a .467 batting average, as well as driving in four runs and hitting a home run. He also walked twice and scored five runs. Not bad for a platoon player, right?

Want To Own Hunter Pence's Shoes? Now You Can!

Everyone's newest favorite Phillie, Hunter Pence, made quite a first impression with his new team when he showed up at the plate wearing his old Houston Astros spikes, only spray painted red to fit the requirements that the Phillies have about red spikes. Luckily, the Phils got him some red spikes after a few games, but Pence did wear them out onto the field for a few games against the Pirates.

Now that Pence has settled in with the Phillies, he's placed his old spikes on eBay, with the proceeds from the auction going to his baseball academy. The listing itself is great, so I'll let you check that out. Trust me, it's worth the read.

Anyone got $1,100 that they don't need so I can buy these bad boys? They'd make a great conversation starter.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-5, Nationals-0

Game Recap:

Roy Oswalt pitched eight shutout innings, striking out nine, and the offense plated five runs against John Lannan, giving them a win in the second game of their series in Washington.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins went 2-4 and drove in two runs.

Hunter Pence was 1-4 with a home run.

John Mayberry had two more hits and scored a run.

Carlos Ruiz went 2-3 with two runs scored.

Wilson freaking Valdez did his job again, driving in two with a triple in the fourth inning.

Roy Oswalt looked like the pitcher the Phillies traded for last year. He went eight innings, giving up eight hits and no runs. He struck out nine and walked one.

Michael Stutes pitched a scoreless ninth inning to finish the game.

What went wrong?

Chase Utley was 0-3 with a strikeout.

Ryan Howard went 0-4 and stuck out once.

Game Analysis:

After the implosion by the bullpen in the ninth inning last night (that's all I'm going to say about that), the Phillies needed not only a bounce back game, but a good effort from Roy Oswalt to help keep the bullpen fresh. Tonight, they got both of those things, as Oswalt found his Fourth Ace form, pitching eight shutout innings and striking out nine as the Phillies beat John Lannan once again, this time by a 5-0 score.

Oswalt looked better in his last start against the Nationals, but tonight, he was on a totally different level. His nine strikeouts were the most since he was traded to the Phillies last season, and were the most he had in a single game since the 2008 season. He still gave up some hits, but was rarely in a lot of trouble, and looked excellent out on the mound. It's the kind of performance that reminds you why the Phils wanted to trade for him last year, and it makes you more confident going into this last month and a half of the season. Since coming back off the DL, Oswalt is 2-1 and has 18 strikeouts in 21 innings of work, compared to just four walks, and he's looked better in each start. He's getting his feel back out there on the mound, and it's only going to get better with every start from here.

At the plate, the Phillies still took advantage of the big inning, like they did last night, but this time, they had two innings with two or more runs. The first came in the top of the fourth, when Wilson Valdez drove in John Mayberry and Carlos Ruiz on a triple. Just like Oswalt's last start, the Phils took advantage of a mistake by Washington, as Ian Desmond committed an error when Mayberry attempted to steal second base. Without that error, Mayberry is out, and the inning is over. Instead, Ruiz walked, and Valdez brought them both in. Mayberry had a solid defensive play in the bottom of the fourth, throwing out Ryan Zimmerman at the plate and ending the last real threat that the Nationals mounted.

The sixth inning started out well when Hunter Pence led things off with a home run and Mayberry and Ruiz followed with back to back hits to chase John Lannan from the game. Wilson Valdez grounded into a fielder's choice, luckily avoiding grounding into a double play before Oswalt sacrificed Ruiz and Valdez over. Jimmy Rollins did the rest, driving them both in with a two run single that capped the scoring. Even though the Phillies didn't need any insurance runs, it was nice to see them added to the board, especially following last night.

This was exactly the type of game that the Phillies needed tonight. They bounced back well against a pitcher that they usually own, and they got a great showing out of their starting pitcher, which helped save the bullpen a lot of work. With the win, the Phillies move to 81-43 and still have a 7.5 game lead on the Braves in the division.

Tomorrow, Roy Halladay (15-5, 2.53 ERA) goes for his 16th win of the season as he faces off against Chien-Ming Wang (2-2, 4.22 ERA).

Phillies Recap: Phillies-4, Diamondbacks-1

Game Recap:

Rain kept Vance Worley from going more than three innings, but David Herndon and John Mayberry did the heavy lifting last night, leading the Phils to their 80th win of the season.

What went right?

John Mayberry was 1-4 with a two run home run.

Chase Utley was 2-4 and scored a run.

Raul Ibanez went 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI.

Wilson freaking Valdez went 1-3 with a walk and an RBI double.

Jimmy Rollins was 1-3 with a walk and a run scored.

For the three innings that he pitched before the rain came, Vance Worley looked excellent. He didn't allow a run while giving up just one hit and striking out two.

David Herndon pitched extremely well after the rain delay. He pitched three shutout innings while allowing one hit and striking out four.

Antonio Bastardo needed just eight pitches to get through the eighth inning, striking out one.

Ryan Madson worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 23rd save of the season.

What went wrong?

Hunter Pence went 0-3 with two strikeouts.

Ross Gload was 0-4.

Brian Schneider was 0-3.

The Phillies left seven men on base.

Game Analysis:

In a game with a two hour rain delay, no Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz, Placido Polanco or Shane Victorino, you wouldn't have been too upset if the Phillies had taken a loss last night. Instead, using a lineup that resembled more of a Spring Training lineup and a bullpen pitcher that has struggled this season, the Phils took out Ian Kennedy with three early runs and won their 80th game of the season.

You can't really look into how Vance Worley pitched last night, because he only went three innings due to the rain delay. However, while he was in the game, he was solid. He struck out two and gave up just one hit and once again looked like a potential Rookie of the Year candidate. Last night's biggest story was David Herndon, the oft-maligned long relief pitcher who normally only comes into a game when the lead is too big for him to lose. Against Arizona last night, Herndon looked like a great pitcher, striking out the side in the fifth inning and working three scoreless innings of his own to keep the Phillies in front. It was very comforting to see Herndon pitch like that, because the Phils are going to need him more and more down this final stretch of the season. When other pitchers can't go, Herndon will need to step up again and again. Last night was a good start.

There's little else that needs to be said about Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson. The two of them have taken their roles as the eighth inning man and closer and ran with them this season. Bastardo has come into his own, allowing just seven earned runs so far this season while stranding 93% of inherited baserunners. Madson, meanwhile, has given up just ten earned runs this season and is 23/24 in save chances. When a team can have a rotation like the Phillies and then have the back of the bullpen like Bastardo and Madson, all the offense really needs to do is score three to four runs a night, and they're going to win. It's a good feeling seeing this pitching staff, especially compared to where they were not that long ago. The emergence of Bastardo and the dominance that Madson has had in the closer role this year have been two surprises that I'm very happy about.

The John Mayberry bandwagon got a few more supporters on it last night as well. Mayberry, who is an extra base hitting machine, had another one last night with a two run home run in the third inning. Since he was called up from AAA at the start of July, Mayberry has hit seven home runs in just 75 at bats. With Raul Ibanez struggling this season, there's going to be more of a ground swell for Mayberry to get more time in left field, and he probably should, but I'm not sure how well he can perform as an every day starter. For the moment, at least, he's a very good option off of the bench or in a spot start situation, like he had last night for Shane Victorino. He's going to get some more time as the season finishes up, and that's going to help him for the playoffs and going into next year. However, Ibanez can get hot over stretches, and he needs to play for those stretches to happen. Plus, the Phillies have won 80 games with him hitting under .240 for the season, so he's not hurting the team that much at the plate. His defense leaves a lot to be desired, there's no questioning that, though.

It's difficult to break down rain delayed games, especially one that was delayed by almost two and a half hours. The Phillies didn't go out there with a full deck at the plate last night, but they still got the job done. They've already reached 80 wins on the season, and are still holding an eight and a half game lead in the NL East over the Braves. Their series winning streak continued, as they took two out of three from Arizona and now they have to wait and see if they meet up with the Diamondbacks again in October.

Tonight, the Phils head down to Washington, D.C. for a three game series with the Nationals. Roy Oswalt (5-7, 3.84 ERA) will be on the hill for the Phillies. Livan Hernandez (7-11, 4.21 ERA) will go for Washington.

Phillies Recap: Phillies-9, Diamondbacks-2

Game Recap:

The Phillies took advantage of mistakes by Arizona in the seventh and eighth innings to break away and win the second game of their series, 9-2. Cliff Lee pitched seven strong innings to pick up the win, his 13th on the season.

What went right?

Jimmy Rollins started the game with a home run on the very first pitch he saw, and finished by going 2-3 with two RBI, a run scored, a walk and a stolen base.

Shane Victorino went 2-4.

Hunter Pence was 2-2 with two walks and three runs scored.

John Mayberry went 3-4, scoring twice and driving in one.

Wilson freaking Valdez went 1-4 with a huge two run double in the seventh. He also scored twice.

Cliff Lee pitched very well, going seven innings and allowing just two runs on three hits. He struck out seven and walked two.

Antonio Bastardo and Ryan Madson worked the eighth and ninth innings and kept Arizona from coming back.

What went wrong?

Chase Utley was 0-5.

Yep, that's all tonight.

Game Analysis:

Those of you that were worried about the Phillies on offense after last night, please sit down. Tonight, the Phils only scored two runs in the first six innings, but came alive when the Diamondbacks made mistakes, scoring seven runs between the seventh and eighth innings for a 9-2 win. Couple that with the Atlanta loss, and the Phillies are once again eight and a half games up in the National League East.

It was just another good night at the ballpark for Cliff Lee, who has followed up a shaky July with a great August. Aside from a walk and home run that he gave up in the second inning, Lee was lights out all night long, and looked just like the pitcher who is second in the National League in strikeouts this season. Yes, believe it or not, Lee has somehow become even more of a strikeout pitcher this year, while still keeping his walk total down. Lee has struck out 184 batters this season while walking only 36. Think about that for a second. Tonight, Lee struck out seven and walked just two. That's not quite on par with his numbers for the season, but it's more than good enough for me. He's pitched well enough to win at least two or three more games than he has this year, and is two strikeouts away from a new career high. It's safe to say he's going to get there.

Aside from Lee, the bullpen pitched well once again tonight. Antonio Bastardo might be the most unrecognized great setup man in baseball at this point. When Bastardo comes into a game, you might as well start planning for the next inning, that's how good this guy has been this year. In 45.2 innings this year, he's struck out 51, walked just 16 and given up 18 hits. That's a WHIP of 0.74. Couple that with his eight saves, and you have a man that can pitch the ninth inning if he has to, and the eighth inning any day of the week. Ryan Madson pitched the ninth tonight to stay loose, and while he allowed a base runner, nobody crossed the plate, so it was a good night for him as well.

The offense had some issues in the middle innings, but was alive to start. Jimmy Rollins swung at the first pitch and took it into the stands for a lead off home run. After Arizona took the lead in the top of the second, Hunter Pence doubled to start the bottom of the inning, and John Mayberry drove Pence home, despite Pence's slide into third base. After that, it came down to taking advantage of the mistakes Arizona made. The Diamondbacks are a young team, and they'll slip up from time to time. Tonight was no different. In the bottom of the seventh, Pence started things with a walk, and went to third on Mayberry's single. Wilson Valdez drove in the eventual game winning run with a two run double, and Ben Francisco hit a near home run that ended up being a sacrifice fly that scored Valdez. It wasn't as pretty as home runs, but it worked. The Phillies had a 5-2 lead.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, it was more of the same, as the Phillies scored four runs, with only one of them being earned. That's what good teams do when they have to win. They take advantage of mistakes by the opposing team. Tonight, Arizona had two errors in the eighth inning that the Phillies turned into four runs to put the game out of reach. That's the killer instinct that this team was somehow missing last year against the Giants. This year, they seem to have found it again, at least right now anyway.

Save for the Brewers, the Diamondbacks are the hottest team in the National League, and the Phillies may have just cooled them off a little bit. We'll see what happens the rest of the season, but I'd rather see them in the playoffs than the Giants.

Tomorrow, Vance Worley (8-1, 2.85 ERA) tries to lead the Phillies to their 80th win of the season. He'll face off against Ian Kennedy (15-3, 3.12 ERA). Where the hell did Kennedy come from?