Game Recap:
Roy Oswalt left last night's game with back stiffness, and the bullpen couldn't keep the lead, allowing Florida to score twice in the top of the seventh as the Marlins took the first game of the three game set against the Phils.
What went right?
Shane Victorino didn't have a hit, but he walked twice and scored two runs.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 with a run scored.
Raul Ibanez went 2-4 with two RBI.
Before leaving due to his back injury, Roy Oswalt pitched well, allowing two runs on four hits in six innings of work. He walked one and struck out six.
What went wrong?
Ross Gload started in right field, and was 0-3.
Placido Polanco, usually the most patient hitter in the lineup, swung at the first pitch with two outs in the ninth inning and flew out to left field.
Roy Oswalt left the game in the top of the seventh inning with a back injury.
The bullpen combination of J.C. Romero and Danys Baez couldn't keep the one run lead that the Phils had. Romero gave up a hit to the only batter he faced, and Baez only recorded one out while giving up two hits, a walk and allowing two runs to score.
The Phillies left eight men on base.
Game Analysis:
After back to back complete games by Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, you would expect that the Phillies' bullpen would have been well rested and able to do what they needed to do if called into action last night. Well, you would have been wrong. After Roy Oswalt strained his back in the bottom of the sixth inning, J.C. Romero and Danys Baez allowed two runs to score in the top of the seventh, giving the Marlins a lead that they wouldn't give up. With the loss, the Phils fall to 9-4 on the season, but more importantly, they may have lost Oswalt for a little while.
While he was in the game, Oswalt looked very good. He gave up only four hits and two runs in six innings, and had the same command of the plate that he'd had in his first two starts this season. As long as he doesn't miss much, if any time with his back injury, the Phillies will be fine. After the game, it didn't look like a big injury, but you can never tell with a back issue. Oswalt could be fine one day, and then it could flare up the next. Hopefully, it's nothing, but the Phillies have to try and take it easy with him for the next few days to see how he responds.
That's still no excuse for how the bullpen pitched in the seventh inning, however. After the bullpen struggled in the first game against the Nationals, Halladay and Lee gave them a nice two games off before they were called back in last night. J.C. Romero did more of what he's done all season long, which is struggle in situational at bats, and Danys Baez allowed the game winning run to score. The bullpen might not be needed that much early in the season, but they have to be able to keep a lead when they are brought in to pitch. Against the Nationals, they couldn't keep the game close, and last night against the Marlins, they weren't able to keep the lead at all. The bullpen is still a question mark for this team, and something is more than likely going to have to be done about it.
Then, there's the offense. Last night started out fine, as the Phillies got two runs in the first inning off of Javier Vasquez, but then missed chance after chance throughout the rest of the game. Even after Raul Ibanez singled home another run in the fifth inning, there were just too many missed chances by the Phillies at the plate last night. That game shouldn't have even been a one run game going into the seventh inning. It should have been a much bigger lead for the Phillies. The ninth inning was even worse, as it took Leo Nunez all of four pitches to work around a walk to John Mayberry. Those four pitches resulted in three outs, and Mayberry was left at first base. This team has to be more patient in those situations. They can't waste chances against teams that they should beat.
Regardless, it's still just one game, and tonight is a new night. Cole Hamels (1-1, 5.59 ERA) pitches for the Phillies, and Anibal Sanchez (0-1, 6.97 ERA) will go for the Marlins.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Flyers Search for the Cup: Game 1-Bobs was good, but the offense was cold as ice
No, that's not just a bad pun in the title. The Flyers peppered Buffalo's Ryan Miller with 35 shots, but he stopped them all as the Sabres won 1-0 and took a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.
You can say what you want to say about how Sergei Bobrovsky finished the regular season, but last night, the rookie goalie was excellent. Bobs stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced and got the early playoff jitters out of the way as quickly as possible. He looked more like the goalie that had a surprising start to the year and forced Michael Leighton down into the minor leagues than the goalie that scuffled so much throughout most of March and April, and that's a good sign. For the Flyers to get anywhere in the playoffs this year, they're going to need to have good work from both Bobs and Brian Boucher in net.
Of course, they're also going to have to score a few goals along the way as well. Last night was just more of the same from the offense of late, as the Flyers failed to score on five power plays, including a game changing five on three chance that the Sabres were able to kill off. Despite the effort from Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers just couldn't get anything going for very long in the offensive end. The power play failure might be where the Flyers are missing Chris Pronger the most right now, because Pronger is excellent at getting the man advantage set up and keeping the puck in the offensive end. With him out, the power play has been one of the worst in the NHL and is showing no signs of getting any better any time soon, and that's a big problem for this Flyers team.
Hopefully, the Flyers can get Pronger back for at least part of this series, because that could be a huge momentum shift for this team. They need to get something going on the power play, because those failures were the primary reason that the Flyers lost the first game of this series. They didn't look horrible last night. In fact, they looked a lot better than they had over the past few weeks when they squandered the top seed in the Eastern Conference away. However, just looking better against one of the hottest teams in the NHL coming into the playoffs isn't going to get anything done. All it's going to do is get this team sent home for the summer that much quicker.
Last night's game was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't a win. The Flyers need to come out tomorrow night for Game 2 with more fire, more passion and a game plan that will ensure that this series is tied going up to Buffalo for Games 3 and 4. Bobrovsky was excellent, and it wasn't really his fault that the Sabres were able to score, but he needs to do more of the same as well. Ryan Miller is one of the best goalies in the NHL when he's hot, and right now, he's very hot. This isn't going to be an easy series to win, but the Flyers showed a lot of heart in last year's playoffs. Now, they just need to find it again.
Game 2 is tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Hopefully, the Flyers can break through and get this series tied. If not, it might not even come back to the Wells Fargo Center.
You can say what you want to say about how Sergei Bobrovsky finished the regular season, but last night, the rookie goalie was excellent. Bobs stopped 24 of 25 shots he faced and got the early playoff jitters out of the way as quickly as possible. He looked more like the goalie that had a surprising start to the year and forced Michael Leighton down into the minor leagues than the goalie that scuffled so much throughout most of March and April, and that's a good sign. For the Flyers to get anywhere in the playoffs this year, they're going to need to have good work from both Bobs and Brian Boucher in net.
Of course, they're also going to have to score a few goals along the way as well. Last night was just more of the same from the offense of late, as the Flyers failed to score on five power plays, including a game changing five on three chance that the Sabres were able to kill off. Despite the effort from Mike Richards and James van Riemsdyk, the Flyers just couldn't get anything going for very long in the offensive end. The power play failure might be where the Flyers are missing Chris Pronger the most right now, because Pronger is excellent at getting the man advantage set up and keeping the puck in the offensive end. With him out, the power play has been one of the worst in the NHL and is showing no signs of getting any better any time soon, and that's a big problem for this Flyers team.
Hopefully, the Flyers can get Pronger back for at least part of this series, because that could be a huge momentum shift for this team. They need to get something going on the power play, because those failures were the primary reason that the Flyers lost the first game of this series. They didn't look horrible last night. In fact, they looked a lot better than they had over the past few weeks when they squandered the top seed in the Eastern Conference away. However, just looking better against one of the hottest teams in the NHL coming into the playoffs isn't going to get anything done. All it's going to do is get this team sent home for the summer that much quicker.
Last night's game was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't a win. The Flyers need to come out tomorrow night for Game 2 with more fire, more passion and a game plan that will ensure that this series is tied going up to Buffalo for Games 3 and 4. Bobrovsky was excellent, and it wasn't really his fault that the Sabres were able to score, but he needs to do more of the same as well. Ryan Miller is one of the best goalies in the NHL when he's hot, and right now, he's very hot. This isn't going to be an easy series to win, but the Flyers showed a lot of heart in last year's playoffs. Now, they just need to find it again.
Game 2 is tomorrow night in Philadelphia. Hopefully, the Flyers can break through and get this series tied. If not, it might not even come back to the Wells Fargo Center.
Phillies Recap: Phillies-4, Nationals-0
Game Recap:
Cliff Lee pitched his first complete game of the season, matching Roy Halladay's effort from the night before as the Phillies took their second straight game from the Washington Nationals.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 1-4 with an RBI.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 and drove in his first run of the season.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run.
Wilson Valdez went 1-3 and scored a run.
Cliff Lee was outstanding, pitching a three hit complete game in his third start of the season. He walked just one and struck out 12.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with a strikeout.
Ben Francisco went 0-4.
Raul Ibanez also went 0-4 with a strikeout.
The Phillies were no-hit by Jordan Zimmerman until the sixth inning.
Game Analysis:
Sorry about there not being a recap of Roy Halladay's start. Work got in the way again.
You could tell from the way the first inning went that last night;s game between the Phillies and the Nationals was going to be a pitcher's duel. Both Cliff Lee and Jordan Zimmerman had their best stuff going, but in the end, the Phillies made the most of the mistakes that the Nationals made and came out with a 4-0 victory. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, striking out 12 and allowing only three hits and a walk.
You knew that Lee wouldn't allow himself to have two bad starts in a row. After getting shelled by the Atlanta Braves his last time out, Lee looked more like the ace that the Phils picked up during the offseason than any time this season. Roy Halladay gave up two runs in his first complete game of the season the night before, and Lee did him one better by shutting the Nationals out and giving the Phillies their first back to back complete games since the 1999 season. That's what this rotation can do when it is firing on all cylinders. They can go out there and turn the tide of a series without doing anything at the plate. Joe Blanton got hit around in the first game of this series, but that was it. After that, the Nationals had just two runs and nine hits in the next two games. There's a word for that: dominant.
Of course, Lee had to have his best stuff last night, because he was being matched pitch for pitch by Jordan Zimmerman. The Phillies hit Zimmerman hard last year, but last night, he was excellent, keeping the Phils without a base runner until the sixth inning, when Carlos Ruiz launched a home run into the left field stands for the first run of the game. The second run of the inning came when Shane Victorino scored on an error by Jerry Hairston Jr, and the Phillies would add two more runs in the eighth inning to finish things off.
Last night was a prime example of what the Phillies have been doing at the plate so far this season. Jordan Zimmerman made one really bad pitch last night, and Carlos Ruiz made him pay for his mistake. Jerry Hairston Jr made a bad throw later in the inning, and the Phillies scored on the play. Twice in the sixth inning, the Nationals made a mistake, and each time, the Phillies jumped all over them. That's what this team has been doing so far this year. They've been making other teams pay for their mistakes. They didn't do a lot of that when it mattered last season, and that's why they lost in the NLCS. This year, even without Jayson Werth and Chase Utley, the team is scoring runs and hitting more than they did a season ago. It's because they are taking advantage of every last error, bad pitch and fielding mistep that their opponents are making. That's what possible World Series champions do.
Oh, and the best part about last night? Jayson Werth made the final out of the game and the series by grounding out. It seemed fitting.
Tonight, the Phils come home to face the Florida Marlins. Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.25 ERA) goes up against Javier Vasquez (1-1, 8.64 ERA).
Cliff Lee pitched his first complete game of the season, matching Roy Halladay's effort from the night before as the Phillies took their second straight game from the Washington Nationals.
What went right?
Placido Polanco went 1-4 with an RBI.
Jimmy Rollins was 1-4 and drove in his first run of the season.
Carlos Ruiz was 2-4 with two runs scored and a solo home run.
Wilson Valdez went 1-3 and scored a run.
Cliff Lee was outstanding, pitching a three hit complete game in his third start of the season. He walked just one and struck out 12.
What went wrong?
Ryan Howard was 0-4 with a strikeout.
Ben Francisco went 0-4.
Raul Ibanez also went 0-4 with a strikeout.
The Phillies were no-hit by Jordan Zimmerman until the sixth inning.
Game Analysis:
Sorry about there not being a recap of Roy Halladay's start. Work got in the way again.
You could tell from the way the first inning went that last night;s game between the Phillies and the Nationals was going to be a pitcher's duel. Both Cliff Lee and Jordan Zimmerman had their best stuff going, but in the end, the Phillies made the most of the mistakes that the Nationals made and came out with a 4-0 victory. Cliff Lee pitched a complete game, striking out 12 and allowing only three hits and a walk.
You knew that Lee wouldn't allow himself to have two bad starts in a row. After getting shelled by the Atlanta Braves his last time out, Lee looked more like the ace that the Phils picked up during the offseason than any time this season. Roy Halladay gave up two runs in his first complete game of the season the night before, and Lee did him one better by shutting the Nationals out and giving the Phillies their first back to back complete games since the 1999 season. That's what this rotation can do when it is firing on all cylinders. They can go out there and turn the tide of a series without doing anything at the plate. Joe Blanton got hit around in the first game of this series, but that was it. After that, the Nationals had just two runs and nine hits in the next two games. There's a word for that: dominant.
Of course, Lee had to have his best stuff last night, because he was being matched pitch for pitch by Jordan Zimmerman. The Phillies hit Zimmerman hard last year, but last night, he was excellent, keeping the Phils without a base runner until the sixth inning, when Carlos Ruiz launched a home run into the left field stands for the first run of the game. The second run of the inning came when Shane Victorino scored on an error by Jerry Hairston Jr, and the Phillies would add two more runs in the eighth inning to finish things off.
Last night was a prime example of what the Phillies have been doing at the plate so far this season. Jordan Zimmerman made one really bad pitch last night, and Carlos Ruiz made him pay for his mistake. Jerry Hairston Jr made a bad throw later in the inning, and the Phillies scored on the play. Twice in the sixth inning, the Nationals made a mistake, and each time, the Phillies jumped all over them. That's what this team has been doing so far this year. They've been making other teams pay for their mistakes. They didn't do a lot of that when it mattered last season, and that's why they lost in the NLCS. This year, even without Jayson Werth and Chase Utley, the team is scoring runs and hitting more than they did a season ago. It's because they are taking advantage of every last error, bad pitch and fielding mistep that their opponents are making. That's what possible World Series champions do.
Oh, and the best part about last night? Jayson Werth made the final out of the game and the series by grounding out. It seemed fitting.
Tonight, the Phils come home to face the Florida Marlins. Roy Oswalt (2-0, 2.25 ERA) goes up against Javier Vasquez (1-1, 8.64 ERA).
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Phillies Recap: Nationals-7, Phillies-4
Game Recap:
Joe Blanton had another rough outing, and Jayson Werth hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Nationals a 7-4 win over the Phillies in their first matchup of the season.
What went right?
Placido Polanco was 2-5 with an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a home run and two runs scored.
Wilson Valdez was 2-4 and scored a run.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with an RBI.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-5, including a strike out with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning.
Joe Blanton got hit around for his second straight rough outing to start the season. He allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings of work while striking out four and walking one.
The bullpen wasn't any help last night. Antonio Bastardo walked two, while David Herndon and Danys Baez each allowed runs to score.
The Phillies left eight men on base.
Game Analysis:
The big story going into last night's game was Jayson Werth making his first appearance against the Phillies for the Washington Nationals. Well, Werth did not disappoint the few Nationals fans that showed up, hitting a double and a home run while scoring twice against Joe Blanton as Washington took the first game in the three game series against the Phils.
As was the case in his first start of the year, Blanton looked good for a few innings, only allowing a run in the bottom of the second, but then he got hit with the same thing that's given him fits with the Phillies: the big inning. Washington scored three times in the bottom of the fourth, and then Jayson Werth finished things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended up being the game winning run. Blanton is still a solid pitcher, but right now, he's going through the same problems that he's had at other times during the regular season. He can cruise through a couple of innings, but then the big inning creeps up, and he can't seem to get anyone out. It happened against the Mets in his first start of the year, and it happened last night against the Nationals. If it continues to happen over his next few starts, Blanton might find himself out of the rotation. Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley are both waiting in the wings.
Last night's loss was not all on Blanton, however. The bullpen didn't do their job either. David Herndon and Danys Baez each gave up runs in their time in the game, and Antonio Bastardo didn't have the same control that he's had early in the season, as he walked two batters and only recorded a single out while he was on the mound. If a starting pitcher has a bad start, it's up to the bullpen to make sure that the lead doesn't get any bigger. In Blanton's first start, the bullpen did that. Last night, they couldn't, and that in turn put more pressure on the offense.
I don't know how Livan Hernandez does what he does on the mound, but it seems like he can baffle the Phillies until he's 50 years old. Last night, it was more of the same, as only Ryan Howard's solo home run in the second inning kept Hernandez from a shut out while he was on the mound. The Phils got seven hits off of Hernandez, but couldn't capitalize even once with runners in scoring position. Even when they managed to chase Hernandez from the game by getting the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, Shane Victorino struck out against Tyler Clippard, and the threat was over. Victorino has had some big hits this year, but he needed to get one there, because the Phils scored twice in the top of the eighth inning and a bases loaded hit for Victorino may have turned the tide. Instead, the Nationals came out with a win.
Aside from Blanton looking off in both of his starts, there's not too much to be concerned about from last night's game. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fun watching Werth get his against the Phils, but it happens. Tonight's a new night, and there's still a lot of baseball to be played.
Tonight, Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69 ERA) pitches for the Phillies. John Lannan (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will go for the Nationals.
Joe Blanton had another rough outing, and Jayson Werth hit a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Nationals a 7-4 win over the Phillies in their first matchup of the season.
What went right?
Placido Polanco was 2-5 with an RBI.
Ryan Howard went 1-3 with a home run and two runs scored.
Wilson Valdez was 2-4 and scored a run.
Raul Ibanez was 1-4 with an RBI.
What went wrong?
Shane Victorino was 0-5, including a strike out with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning.
Joe Blanton got hit around for his second straight rough outing to start the season. He allowed five runs on seven hits in six innings of work while striking out four and walking one.
The bullpen wasn't any help last night. Antonio Bastardo walked two, while David Herndon and Danys Baez each allowed runs to score.
The Phillies left eight men on base.
Game Analysis:
The big story going into last night's game was Jayson Werth making his first appearance against the Phillies for the Washington Nationals. Well, Werth did not disappoint the few Nationals fans that showed up, hitting a double and a home run while scoring twice against Joe Blanton as Washington took the first game in the three game series against the Phils.
As was the case in his first start of the year, Blanton looked good for a few innings, only allowing a run in the bottom of the second, but then he got hit with the same thing that's given him fits with the Phillies: the big inning. Washington scored three times in the bottom of the fourth, and then Jayson Werth finished things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended up being the game winning run. Blanton is still a solid pitcher, but right now, he's going through the same problems that he's had at other times during the regular season. He can cruise through a couple of innings, but then the big inning creeps up, and he can't seem to get anyone out. It happened against the Mets in his first start of the year, and it happened last night against the Nationals. If it continues to happen over his next few starts, Blanton might find himself out of the rotation. Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley are both waiting in the wings.
Last night's loss was not all on Blanton, however. The bullpen didn't do their job either. David Herndon and Danys Baez each gave up runs in their time in the game, and Antonio Bastardo didn't have the same control that he's had early in the season, as he walked two batters and only recorded a single out while he was on the mound. If a starting pitcher has a bad start, it's up to the bullpen to make sure that the lead doesn't get any bigger. In Blanton's first start, the bullpen did that. Last night, they couldn't, and that in turn put more pressure on the offense.
I don't know how Livan Hernandez does what he does on the mound, but it seems like he can baffle the Phillies until he's 50 years old. Last night, it was more of the same, as only Ryan Howard's solo home run in the second inning kept Hernandez from a shut out while he was on the mound. The Phils got seven hits off of Hernandez, but couldn't capitalize even once with runners in scoring position. Even when they managed to chase Hernandez from the game by getting the bases loaded in the top of the seventh inning, Shane Victorino struck out against Tyler Clippard, and the threat was over. Victorino has had some big hits this year, but he needed to get one there, because the Phils scored twice in the top of the eighth inning and a bases loaded hit for Victorino may have turned the tide. Instead, the Nationals came out with a win.
Aside from Blanton looking off in both of his starts, there's not too much to be concerned about from last night's game. It wasn't pretty, and it wasn't fun watching Werth get his against the Phils, but it happens. Tonight's a new night, and there's still a lot of baseball to be played.
Tonight, Roy Halladay (1-0, 0.69 ERA) pitches for the Phillies. John Lannan (1-0, 3.60 ERA) will go for the Nationals.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Phillies Series Recap: Phils take two of three from Atlanta
Sorry about the lack of updates over the past few days, but my work schedule has been killer, leaving me with little time to actually post anything, let alone watch the full games. Anyway, I've got a series recap from the Phils trip down to Atlanta, where they took two out of three games from the Braves and looked good doing it.
Series Recap:
After dropping the first game of the series to Atlanta, the Phillies came back and took the next two games. The offense shelled the Atlanta bullpen for six runs in a 10-2 win on Saturday, while Cole Hamels and the bullpen pitched a five hit shutout in a 3-0 win today.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was lights out in the entire series, going a combined 9-13 with his first home run of the year, five runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases.
Carlos Ruiz had a clutch pinch hit grand slam on Saturday that turned a tight 3-2 game into a 7-2 blowout. He finished that game with five RBI in two at bats.
Jimmy Rollins had at least a hit or a run scored in each of the three games.
Ryan Howard didn't have many hits, but he did drive in a run in every game of the series.
Brian Schneider started at catcher on Saturday and hit a two run home run that gave the Phillies the lead for good.
Roy Oswalt earned his second win of the season on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Cole Hamels looked every bit like the fourth ace in the rotation today, shutting out the Braves in his seven innings of work while picking up his first win of the season. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out eight.
The bullpen was nothing short of outstanding during the entire series. In the three games, the 'pen didn't allow a single run, only gave up four hits and two walks in nine and two thirds innings while striking out 11. It was a very good weekend series for the bullpen.
What went wrong?
Placido Polanco had a rough series, going 2-13.
Ben Francisco was 3-11 in the three games.
Cliff Lee had a rough game on Friday night, only lasting three and a third innings while allowing six runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Series Analysis:
After an opening homestand that saw the Phillies go 5-1, they faced their first road test of the season against the Atlanta Braves this weekend. While the Phils had a little speed bump on Friday night, they played strong and took the next two games of the series, giving them their third straight series win and pushing their record to an impressive 7-2 to start the year.
Cliff Lee made his second start of the season on Friday night, and it was the mirror image of his first start. Nothing seemed to go his way, he left balls out over the plate and couldn't get hitters out when he needed to get the job done. Chipper Jones' three run double finished Lee off, and while you can argue that Shane Victorino should have made a play on that hit, you also have to realize that Lee should have made a better pitch. There are some nights when pitchers just don't have what it takes, and Friday night was one of those for Cliff Lee. Just like Cole Hamels against the Mets, every pitcher has a couple of bad starts a year. This was one of those for Lee. He'll be fine, and the offense bounced back in a big way on Saturday.
Just as they had in the first game of the series, the Phillies got out to an early lead against the Braves in the second game, and while Roy Oswalt got hit for two runs (though only one was earned) in the third inning, the Phils were able to come back in the next inning. Brian Schneider's two run home run gave the Phillies the lead to stay, and a 3-2 game turned into a 7-2 rout with one swing off the bat of Carlos Ruiz in the seventh inning. Ruiz's pinch hit grand slam ended the game, for all intended purposes, though the Phillies added three more insurance runs to make sure that the Braves weren't going to come back. It was a perfect answer for what the Braves had done to the Phillies the night before.
After the offensive outburst on Saturday, the bats were a little bit more quiet today, but Cole Hamels made sure that it didn't matter. Hamels pitched seven shut out innings while the offense was able to scrape together three runs for a 3-0 win that gave the Phils the series win. Hamels was excellent on the mound, and showed no signs of the pitcher that couldn't get through the third inning against the Mets in his first start of the year. Today, he looked like the same pitcher that was excellent in the second half of the 2010 season, striking out eight and only allowing four hits. While he did have a little trouble in a few innings, he was able to pitch out of it, and looked good at the same time. That's the effort that this team needs out of Hamels, and he gave it today. There's no reason to worry about him, he'll be fine this year, and today's start showed it.
For the third straight game in this series, the bullpen was simply excellent. Jose Contreras worked a perfect ninth inning for his second save of the season, striking out Dan Uggla to end the game. Throughout the entire weekend, the bullpen was excellent. Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and J.C. Romero kept the Phillies in the game on Friday night, David Herndon, Danys Baez and Romero held the lead on Saturday, and Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras finished things off today. The combined effort from the bullpen was simply amazing. The Braves only managed four hits and no runs in over nine innings against the bullpen, which helps answer a lot of questions right now. Yes, it was only one series, but the fact remains that the Braves couldn't score a single run against a bullpen that had a lot of question marks coming into the season.
Though the offense didn't score that many runs, save for Saturday's game, they produced runs early in each of the three games. The Phils jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Friday, though they couldn't hold the lead, and they got early leads on Saturday and Sunday as well. Shane Victorino looked like a good leadoff hitter, picking up nine hits in 13 at bats in the series with five runs scored. That's what a leadoff hitter should do, and Victorino is now leading the team with a .429 batting average. Shane has looked excellent in the past two series, and the team is responding by scoring 59 runs in nine games. That averages to over six and a half runs a game, and if you score six and a half runs a game, you're going to win most baseball games.
This was another solid series for the Phillies early in the season. They've won all three series so far, and are sitting in first place in the National League East. The offense is scoring a lot more than people expected, the starting pitching has been solid, with all four aces picking up a win already and Roy Oswalt getting two, and the bullpen has been better than anyone could have expected. The Braves needed a good series against the Phillies after dropping three of four to the Brewers, but the Phillies didn't let that happen. Despite the struggles that Cliff Lee had on Friday, it was quite the successful three game stint in Atlanta for the Phils.
Tomorrow, the Phillies have a day off before going to Washington for a series against the Nationals. Joe Blanton (0-0, 14.54 ERA) will make his second start of the season against Livan Hernandez (0-1, 4.76 ERA).
Series Recap:
After dropping the first game of the series to Atlanta, the Phillies came back and took the next two games. The offense shelled the Atlanta bullpen for six runs in a 10-2 win on Saturday, while Cole Hamels and the bullpen pitched a five hit shutout in a 3-0 win today.
What went right?
Shane Victorino was lights out in the entire series, going a combined 9-13 with his first home run of the year, five runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases.
Carlos Ruiz had a clutch pinch hit grand slam on Saturday that turned a tight 3-2 game into a 7-2 blowout. He finished that game with five RBI in two at bats.
Jimmy Rollins had at least a hit or a run scored in each of the three games.
Ryan Howard didn't have many hits, but he did drive in a run in every game of the series.
Brian Schneider started at catcher on Saturday and hit a two run home run that gave the Phillies the lead for good.
Roy Oswalt earned his second win of the season on Saturday, pitching six innings and allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits. He walked two and struck out two.
Cole Hamels looked every bit like the fourth ace in the rotation today, shutting out the Braves in his seven innings of work while picking up his first win of the season. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out eight.
The bullpen was nothing short of outstanding during the entire series. In the three games, the 'pen didn't allow a single run, only gave up four hits and two walks in nine and two thirds innings while striking out 11. It was a very good weekend series for the bullpen.
What went wrong?
Placido Polanco had a rough series, going 2-13.
Ben Francisco was 3-11 in the three games.
Cliff Lee had a rough game on Friday night, only lasting three and a third innings while allowing six runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out three.
Series Analysis:
After an opening homestand that saw the Phillies go 5-1, they faced their first road test of the season against the Atlanta Braves this weekend. While the Phils had a little speed bump on Friday night, they played strong and took the next two games of the series, giving them their third straight series win and pushing their record to an impressive 7-2 to start the year.
Cliff Lee made his second start of the season on Friday night, and it was the mirror image of his first start. Nothing seemed to go his way, he left balls out over the plate and couldn't get hitters out when he needed to get the job done. Chipper Jones' three run double finished Lee off, and while you can argue that Shane Victorino should have made a play on that hit, you also have to realize that Lee should have made a better pitch. There are some nights when pitchers just don't have what it takes, and Friday night was one of those for Cliff Lee. Just like Cole Hamels against the Mets, every pitcher has a couple of bad starts a year. This was one of those for Lee. He'll be fine, and the offense bounced back in a big way on Saturday.
Just as they had in the first game of the series, the Phillies got out to an early lead against the Braves in the second game, and while Roy Oswalt got hit for two runs (though only one was earned) in the third inning, the Phils were able to come back in the next inning. Brian Schneider's two run home run gave the Phillies the lead to stay, and a 3-2 game turned into a 7-2 rout with one swing off the bat of Carlos Ruiz in the seventh inning. Ruiz's pinch hit grand slam ended the game, for all intended purposes, though the Phillies added three more insurance runs to make sure that the Braves weren't going to come back. It was a perfect answer for what the Braves had done to the Phillies the night before.
After the offensive outburst on Saturday, the bats were a little bit more quiet today, but Cole Hamels made sure that it didn't matter. Hamels pitched seven shut out innings while the offense was able to scrape together three runs for a 3-0 win that gave the Phils the series win. Hamels was excellent on the mound, and showed no signs of the pitcher that couldn't get through the third inning against the Mets in his first start of the year. Today, he looked like the same pitcher that was excellent in the second half of the 2010 season, striking out eight and only allowing four hits. While he did have a little trouble in a few innings, he was able to pitch out of it, and looked good at the same time. That's the effort that this team needs out of Hamels, and he gave it today. There's no reason to worry about him, he'll be fine this year, and today's start showed it.
For the third straight game in this series, the bullpen was simply excellent. Jose Contreras worked a perfect ninth inning for his second save of the season, striking out Dan Uggla to end the game. Throughout the entire weekend, the bullpen was excellent. Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and J.C. Romero kept the Phillies in the game on Friday night, David Herndon, Danys Baez and Romero held the lead on Saturday, and Ryan Madson and Jose Contreras finished things off today. The combined effort from the bullpen was simply amazing. The Braves only managed four hits and no runs in over nine innings against the bullpen, which helps answer a lot of questions right now. Yes, it was only one series, but the fact remains that the Braves couldn't score a single run against a bullpen that had a lot of question marks coming into the season.
Though the offense didn't score that many runs, save for Saturday's game, they produced runs early in each of the three games. The Phils jumped out to a 3-0 lead on Friday, though they couldn't hold the lead, and they got early leads on Saturday and Sunday as well. Shane Victorino looked like a good leadoff hitter, picking up nine hits in 13 at bats in the series with five runs scored. That's what a leadoff hitter should do, and Victorino is now leading the team with a .429 batting average. Shane has looked excellent in the past two series, and the team is responding by scoring 59 runs in nine games. That averages to over six and a half runs a game, and if you score six and a half runs a game, you're going to win most baseball games.
This was another solid series for the Phillies early in the season. They've won all three series so far, and are sitting in first place in the National League East. The offense is scoring a lot more than people expected, the starting pitching has been solid, with all four aces picking up a win already and Roy Oswalt getting two, and the bullpen has been better than anyone could have expected. The Braves needed a good series against the Phillies after dropping three of four to the Brewers, but the Phillies didn't let that happen. Despite the struggles that Cliff Lee had on Friday, it was quite the successful three game stint in Atlanta for the Phils.
Tomorrow, the Phillies have a day off before going to Washington for a series against the Nationals. Joe Blanton (0-0, 14.54 ERA) will make his second start of the season against Livan Hernandez (0-1, 4.76 ERA).
Phillie of the Week: April 1-9
The first week and a half of the regular season couldn't have really gone much better for the Phillies. They started things off with a sweep of the Astros, then took two out of three from the Mets before heading down to Atlanta to face the Braves. The starting pitching has been solid, the bullpen has been outstanding, and the offense has been even better than advertised. That's why the first Phillie of the Week is coming from the offense. This week's Phillie of the Week is:
Ryan Howard
The big man has done everything right in the middle of the lineup so far this season. Despite being a notoriously slow starter, Howard has been excellent this year, hitting .406 with two home runs and ten RBI in the first eight games of the year. If he can keep this up, the offense will have very little to worry about.
Ryan Howard
The big man has done everything right in the middle of the lineup so far this season. Despite being a notoriously slow starter, Howard has been excellent this year, hitting .406 with two home runs and ten RBI in the first eight games of the year. If he can keep this up, the offense will have very little to worry about.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Phillies Recap: Phillies-11, Mets-0
Game Recap:
The Phillies finished their first homestand of the season with an 11 run beatdown of the New York Mets today. Roy Halladay pitched seven innings to get his first win of the season.
What went right?
Where do I even begin with this one?
Shane Victorino was 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
Placido Polanco went 2-5 and drove in four runs.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 and scored twice.
Raul Ibanez was 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a two run home run. He scored three times.
Wilson Valdez had an excellent game, going 4-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.
Roy Halladay picked up his first win of the season, pitching seven shutout innings while giving up seven hits. He walked one, struck out seven and went 1-2 at the plate.
The bullpen had another solid showing, as Danys Baez and David Herndon pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to finish off the Mets.
What went wrong?
The Phillies hit into two double plays. Yes, I'm nitpicking.
Game Analysis:
If last night's game was an early season gut check for the Phillies, today's game was a punch to the gut of the New York Mets. The Phillies got started in the third inning against Jon Niese and never looked back, scoring two or more runs in four of the next five innings. Niese only lasted four innings, and the Phils capped their first homestand of the year at 5-1.
Is anyone still questioning if this offense can produce runs? In six games this year, the Phillies have scored 43 times, including 21 runs in the last two games. That comes out to over seven runs a game, and that's impressive. What's even more impressive is that out of the six games that the Phillies have played this season, only once has a pitcher made it through the sixth inning. That was Brett Myers on Opening Day. The best pitcher for the Mets was Chris Young, and he only got into the sixth inning, he couldn't finish it. That means that this offense is showing great patience at the plate and are making the opposing pitchers pay for their mistakes. That's what they couldn't do at times last season. To see them doing it this early in the season is a very, very good thing.
I wrote about how hard Placido Polanco plays the game yesterday, and today, he looked even better, driving in four more runs, giving him eight on the season. For those of you keeping track at home, that's seven more than Jayson Werth currently has. Wilson Valdez had a great game, going 4-4 to improve his average to .429 with five RBI and four runs scored so far this season. Would fans rather have Chase Utley in at second base? Of course, but at least Valdez is making this injury to Chase sting a lot less.
Even though Ryan Howard didn't drive in a run today, the rest of the offense did their jobs. Aside from Polanco and Valdez, Carlos Ruiz drove in a run and Raul Ibanez hit a two run home run, his first of the season. That's the way this offense has worked so far this year. When one player doesn't drive a runner in, the next batter gets it taken care of. That's the mark of a good team. They should be able to do this and get the job done. The Phillies were 6-14 with runners in scoring position today, which is a .429 clip. What else can you say about that? When a team is hitting almost .500 with runners in scoring position, they're going to win, and usually by a large margin, which is what happened today.
Then, there's Roy Halladay. After allowing just a single run on Opening Day, Halladay was even better today, striking out seven while pitching seven shutout innings for his first win of the season. Despite not giving up any runs, Halladay did get into a little bit of trouble today, but, like any good pitcher, he was able to get out of it. That's what anyone should expect out of Roy Halladay. So far this year, he's done nothing to make fans think he can't get a second straight Cy Young Award, and his 0.69 ERA after two starts is right at the top of the National League. For Halladay though, it was just another day at the ballpark. He did what he is supposed to do, and that's pitch seven shutout innings and look very good, even in April.
For the first homestand of the season, things couldn't have gone much better for the Phillies. Yes, they dropped the first game of this series against the Mets, but they came back in the next two games to score 21 runs and pick up two wins. No Met pitcher made it through the sixth inning, and the pitching, especially out of the bullpen in the first two games, was excellent. Roy Halladay looked great on the mound today, and the team supported him with 11 runs. Compare that to the none that he got on Opening Day, and it's a very nice change. To put it simply, this season, for the moment, is so far, so good.
Tomorrow, the Phils go on the road for the first time this year as they head to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.86 ERA) pitches for the Phillies, and Tim Hudson (1-0, 1.29 ERA) goes for the Braves.
The Phillies finished their first homestand of the season with an 11 run beatdown of the New York Mets today. Roy Halladay pitched seven innings to get his first win of the season.
What went right?
Where do I even begin with this one?
Shane Victorino was 2-5 with a run scored and an RBI.
Placido Polanco went 2-5 and drove in four runs.
Ryan Howard went 1-4 and scored twice.
Raul Ibanez was 1-3 with a walk, a hit by pitch and a two run home run. He scored three times.
Wilson Valdez had an excellent game, going 4-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.
Roy Halladay picked up his first win of the season, pitching seven shutout innings while giving up seven hits. He walked one, struck out seven and went 1-2 at the plate.
The bullpen had another solid showing, as Danys Baez and David Herndon pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth to finish off the Mets.
What went wrong?
The Phillies hit into two double plays. Yes, I'm nitpicking.
Game Analysis:
If last night's game was an early season gut check for the Phillies, today's game was a punch to the gut of the New York Mets. The Phillies got started in the third inning against Jon Niese and never looked back, scoring two or more runs in four of the next five innings. Niese only lasted four innings, and the Phils capped their first homestand of the year at 5-1.
Is anyone still questioning if this offense can produce runs? In six games this year, the Phillies have scored 43 times, including 21 runs in the last two games. That comes out to over seven runs a game, and that's impressive. What's even more impressive is that out of the six games that the Phillies have played this season, only once has a pitcher made it through the sixth inning. That was Brett Myers on Opening Day. The best pitcher for the Mets was Chris Young, and he only got into the sixth inning, he couldn't finish it. That means that this offense is showing great patience at the plate and are making the opposing pitchers pay for their mistakes. That's what they couldn't do at times last season. To see them doing it this early in the season is a very, very good thing.
I wrote about how hard Placido Polanco plays the game yesterday, and today, he looked even better, driving in four more runs, giving him eight on the season. For those of you keeping track at home, that's seven more than Jayson Werth currently has. Wilson Valdez had a great game, going 4-4 to improve his average to .429 with five RBI and four runs scored so far this season. Would fans rather have Chase Utley in at second base? Of course, but at least Valdez is making this injury to Chase sting a lot less.
Even though Ryan Howard didn't drive in a run today, the rest of the offense did their jobs. Aside from Polanco and Valdez, Carlos Ruiz drove in a run and Raul Ibanez hit a two run home run, his first of the season. That's the way this offense has worked so far this year. When one player doesn't drive a runner in, the next batter gets it taken care of. That's the mark of a good team. They should be able to do this and get the job done. The Phillies were 6-14 with runners in scoring position today, which is a .429 clip. What else can you say about that? When a team is hitting almost .500 with runners in scoring position, they're going to win, and usually by a large margin, which is what happened today.
Then, there's Roy Halladay. After allowing just a single run on Opening Day, Halladay was even better today, striking out seven while pitching seven shutout innings for his first win of the season. Despite not giving up any runs, Halladay did get into a little bit of trouble today, but, like any good pitcher, he was able to get out of it. That's what anyone should expect out of Roy Halladay. So far this year, he's done nothing to make fans think he can't get a second straight Cy Young Award, and his 0.69 ERA after two starts is right at the top of the National League. For Halladay though, it was just another day at the ballpark. He did what he is supposed to do, and that's pitch seven shutout innings and look very good, even in April.
For the first homestand of the season, things couldn't have gone much better for the Phillies. Yes, they dropped the first game of this series against the Mets, but they came back in the next two games to score 21 runs and pick up two wins. No Met pitcher made it through the sixth inning, and the pitching, especially out of the bullpen in the first two games, was excellent. Roy Halladay looked great on the mound today, and the team supported him with 11 runs. Compare that to the none that he got on Opening Day, and it's a very nice change. To put it simply, this season, for the moment, is so far, so good.
Tomorrow, the Phils go on the road for the first time this year as they head to Atlanta to take on the Braves. Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.86 ERA) pitches for the Phillies, and Tim Hudson (1-0, 1.29 ERA) goes for the Braves.
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