Burrell goes deep against his former team, Bartlett extends his streak, Rays win! posted by Matt Hewitt

A day after the Rays do seemingly everything wrong, they come back and do nearly everything right in a 7-1 victory over the Phillies. The second game of the World Series rematch was much more eventful than the previous, with Garza throwing a gem, Burrell homering and Bartlett extending his hit streak to 18 games (ties a franchise record held by the long time Devil Ray great Quinton McCracken).

Matt Garza pitched 8 strong innings, giving up only 3 hits, striking out 7 and giving up 1 earned run. His only mistake was a ball Werth hit out of the ballpark for a solo shot. Equally as impressive, Joe Blanton matched Garza as best he could, going 7+ allowing 6 hits, striking out 10 and giving up 2 earned runs. He also only made one mistake the whole game, the only difference was Carlos Pena was on first base when he left a 0-1 fastball over the heart of the plate. Pat Burrell didn't miss it and launched it into the left field seats for just his second home run of the season.

Jason Bartlett continued his hit streak as part of a 5 run bottom of the eighth for the Rays. Bartlett led off the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout making him 0-3 on the night and it looked as though he wouldn't get another shot. Until the bottom of the eighth when Pat Burrell stepped up with bases loaded and 2 outs, Bartlett on deck. Burrell gets handcuffed on an inside fastball and hits a slow roller to Jimmy Rollins at shortstop, and due to the fantastic hustle of Ben Zobrist (who should be an All-Star, but thats for another blog) beats out the fielders choice at second, allowing the run to come in for insurance, and giving Jason Bartlett one last at-bat. And he would not blow his opportunity, she flared a sinking line drive into right field, just out of the outstretched glove of Chase Utley for a 2 rbi base hit.

Mistakes Made and Pitching Counts; Phillies falter to Rays, giving up 5 in the 8th posted by SportsPhanatic

Pat Burrell had hit 251 home runs up to this year, and obviously hadn't hit any against a team with "Philadelphia" tagged in front of its team name, since drafted 1st overall by the team in 1998. Up until now.

Burrell blasted a 2-run homer in the 2nd inning of the Phillies-Rays World Series rematch from last year, at Tropicana Field, scoring Carlos Pena and giving the Rays (not to be confused with the "Devil Rays" of extinction, formerly) an early lead that would bulster.  The wheels came off in the bottom of the 8th when middle reliever JC Romero gave up 4 hits, a walk & a hit batter in his outing.  

Jimmy Rollins continued to struggle with the bat. He went 0-4 tonight, lowering his average, to .211- barely over the mendoza line.  He'll look for another chance to pick his game up, tomorrow night vs. Andy Sonnanstine. 

INJURY UPDATE:  (All Caps are necessary)  Brad Lidge will return tomorrow and is expected to be called up. Is John Mayberry back down or do you think they will keep him on the ballclub, even with Lidge back and Rollins struggling? Lidge has been on the 15-day disabled list, as of June 7th.

On another note, Scott Eyre will be expected to return in 7-10 days, after being sidelined since June 12th with a strained left calf. Lidge is  and Eyre is 1-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 25 appearences this year with the Phillies.

Tough Cookie- Joe Blanton came through with a tremendous outing tonight- going 7 innings, giving up 2 ERs & punching out 10 batters, getting little run support from his offense and going deep, despite getting the loss.  Previously, in 4 starts this month, Blanton posted a 1-0 record with a 3.58 ERA in that time span. 

The 2009 New York Mets are Finally the Underdogs posted by Herb Uzzi

This isn't the way Jerry Manuel and Omar Minaya drew things up in the offseason.

The Mets put yet another star on the disabled list, this time center fielder Carlos Beltran. He joins Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes on the DL, and that's just in the lineup.

Pitchers John Maine, Oliver Perez and J.J. Putz sit on the DL for the Mets, as well.

So why am I so optimistic?

Amazingly, the Mets have been able to stay in the NL East race, as today they sit just 1.5 games behind first-place Philadelphia.

But is that the reason?

Not fully. The Mets are finally the underdogs again. They were in 2006, when no matter how talented the Mets looked on paper, you had to be crazy to pick them to win the East over the Atlanta Braves. But that was the last time.

They were expected to blow through the league in 2007, which they did for five months before having a dreadful September and coughing up the division to the Phillies.

And then in the offseason, Minaya traded for ace pitcher Johan Santana, making the Mets favorites, yet again, for the 2008 season.

And when the bullpen and late-inning offense failed in 2008, the Mets added All-Star closers Putz and Francisco Rodriguez, once again making the Mets the trendy pick for the 2009 season.

But as we stand right now, with the Mets 34-32, sitting in second place and decimated by injury, the Mets are finally the underdogs.

No one knows how the heck they're going to get things done, how they're going to win games. No one is penciling in production for high-paid superstars. 

Lester Strikes Out 11 and Doesn't Get Decision, But Sox Win in Extar Innings posted by HankHillRedsox

Boston Red Sox; Inter-league Play Begins with the Red Sox heading to Philly to play World Champion Philadelphia Phillies!

With last years champs in town facing what I believe to be this year's champs (the Red Sox) I think we should have a good series and a good game and last night we had a battle. Even though the Sox are 11-2 versus the Philly’s since 2005!

Lester came out of the gate like he did last game and put down the hammer; he has struck out over 10 people in each of his last 3 starts.  Last night would be no different; he pitched an amazing 7 innings, 111 pitches, 2 hits, 1 earned run and 11 strikeouts, sweet!

Meanwhile our offense did its thing getting 11 hits and in the 4th inning Youkilis would hit a solo homer -- his 11th of the year to tie the game after the Phillies had taken a one run lead and that would be the last lead they would have.  Because J.D Drew hit his 9th home run of the year in the 5th inning to give Lester a 2-1 lead, and the way he was going, that would be all he needed, and it looked that way, but didn’t end that way.

Okajima would come in for the 8th inning, and was perfect striking out 2, so now after our at bats and changing the Lineup which Francona would have to do a bunch of, now playing in the National League where the pitchers hit.  So we would be heading into the 9th up 2-1 still and I am thinking the Sox will just bring in Paplebon and this game is over, but nope!!!  Since Paplebon has pitched the last 2 nights they brought in Ramirez, not the best call because R. Howard, the Phillies' Big Man, stepped to the plate and I got a little scared -- with good reason -- because he hit a bomb that would tie this game with 1 out in the 9th and now Lester wouldn't get the win he so deserved.
Continue reading "Lester Strikes Out 11 and Doesn't ..."

5 Trades that Need to Happen in Major League Baseball posted by Daniel Doyle

These 5 deals need to be done by July 31st.

With the Nate McLouth trade still fresh on our minds, what other deals appear to be necessary, if not imminent? Atlanta was able to fill perhaps the single biggest hole of any team, in its lack of outfield production. Here are the five trades that need to be made sooner than later.

5.) Nick Johnson traded to the Boston Red Sox.

This doesn't seem like a blockbuster of a deal, but the Red Sox do not need any kind of overhaul, just a slight tinkering to really rev their engine. Ortiz appears to be in a funk that he may not get out of. At least not this year. In the American League you must get production out of your DH spot. Johnson would be a nice upgrade and could spell Kevin Youkilis occasionally at first base.

4.) Jose Valverde traded to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Scott Downs has filled in admirably as the Jays closer so far this season. However, if Toronto wants to make a serious run at a playoff birth this year, they need a dominant ninth inning option to rival Mariano Rivera and Jonathan Papelbon in the AL East. Scott Downs would be a much better option in the eighth and take even less pressure off of B.J. Ryan. In return, the Jays have a few nice, young bats in their farm system that Houston might consider.

3.) Miguel Tejada traded to the St. Louis Cardinals.

I realize that the Astros and Cardinals are in the same division, which makes them unlikely trade partners. But the Astros must see the writing on the wall. They have been very bad this year and have great trade chips in Valverde and Tejada that they must cash in. Troy Glaus could miss the rest of the year and Khalil Greene just landed on the DL a few days ago, leaving a weakened left side of the infield. Tejada has actually been a bright spot for Houston this year, hitting .355 while driving in 33, and could play either SS or 3B for the Red Birds.

Phillies Brad Lidge posted by Ray Darluv

Brad Lidge needs a lil rest, and some more rest between outings. The lat weekend of May, Charlie Manuel ran him out there on 4 consecutive nites, and then had him warm up two days later, and pitch in successive games after that. We all know he blew the successive games, and evidence of overuse were plentiful, including lack of location, bite on slider, and an overall velocity drop on all pitches. Manuel also used his closer on 4 consecutive days in May. He needs to immediately stop this idiotic maneuver and find his All Star some rest after consecutive days use the rest of the season, or Brad won't be there at the end.Continue reading "Phillies Brad Lidge"

Where will the Phillies be when the smoke clears? posted by Michael Haftman

Ruben Amaro, Jr. has stated time and time again that the Phillies are looking to add a pitcher. A quality top end of the rotation pitcher. While thoughts of Peavy and Halladay and Bedard have danced in our heads, what will be the reality of it all come July 31st at 4 PM? With the current state of the economy, I don't believe that the Phillies will be looking to add a number one or number one-a contract to the salary. Maybe a two or three but definitely not anything above. And just to be clear Dan Haren is a one-a. Where he would definitely be a number one on most legitimate teams. This is pure speculation, but I don't expect more than a Doug Davis or Jason Marquis type of pitcher. If Bastardo can go deeper into games, Happ stays steady, and Moyer continues to improve, or atleast not decline, I believe the Phillies will stand pat with their rotation. They will say that they made the best effort possible for another top flight pitcher but no one would budge on their asking price. Also not to worry because Hamels, Blanton, Happ, and Moyer won it for us last year so they all have the playoff experience to make the team float. So where do the Phillies stand once the smoke clears? I think they look remarkably like they do now, And as far as the smoke goes, I think it is just being blown up our asses.

Is Donald only worth a Penny? posted by Michael Haftman

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com is reporting that the Phillies have been scouting Red Sox pitcher Brad Penny. The Red Sox supposedly asking for infield prospect Jason Donald. Brad Penny is not the power pitcher he used to be. He has averaged about 5.1 IP/9 this season for Boston. Donald has struggled in the minors this year and his value may decline if he continues sumping, but I would definitely NOT want Penny. Right now Happ and Bastardo are both throwing the ball better. Hopefully this just a rumor and the Phils are scouting others from the Sawx. Ruben realistically could wait until the All-Star break to acquire a front line starter. So for now it's just a waiting game.Continue reading "Is Donald only worth a Penny?"

Balls flying out of Yankee Stadium. Should we worry? posted by Cesar Valverde

There's a lot of media out there stressing how the balls are flying out of Yankee stadium. Good! As long as the majority of the homers are off Yankee bats, I'm not worried. Our pitchers can handle it as long as the offense gives them plenty of run support and the relievers don't mess up. Granted, there have been more home runs at the new stadium than in any other ball park, but that's also been the case at Citizen's Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia, the home of the Phillies. They've made adjustments: removed a few seats here and pushed the wall back there. Balls are still flying out and who are the defending World Champions? The Philadelphia Phillies. Why? Because their many of their sluggers like Matt Stairs and Ryan Howard took advantage of it. I believe the Yankees can follow suit and do the same this year. Already their home run total is among tops in the American League. They've been swapping the team home run lead with the Texas Rangers the past week and a half now. Are you ready for a homerun derby between the Yankees and the Rangers the next 3 days? I sure am. I love home runs. The longer the homers, the better. Keep them coming A-Rod. Keep them coming Tex (Mark Teixiera). Oh what the heck! Keep them coming Josh Hamilton. We love 'em!

Ibanez early favorite for All Star Game. posted by Michael Haftman

After starting sixth in all star votes, Phillies fans stepped up the in park and online voting to jump Raul Ibanez all the way to second place behind Ryan Braun. The usuals are occupying their places in voting with Utley, Howard, and Rollins all within the top 3. Third baseman Pedro Feliz is quietly putting together an All Star quality season. He currently is 5th in the voting.

The real story is Ibanez. Ibanez came to the Phillies this past offseason to replace Pat (the Bat, the Babe, Man or Machine, etc.) Burrell. Most fans were skeptical of what Ibanez could bring to the team. He would be the third lefty in the heart of the order. He was also 6 years OLDER than Burrell. So far, I would definitely say the Ibanez was well worth the draft pick we gave up. He is out homering a DLed Burrell 17:1. So when you watch or listen to a Phils game, just know we are not "Booing" Ibanez. We are affectionately chanting, "Rauuuuuuuuul".Continue reading "Ibanez early favorite for All Star Game."