Author Archive
Rivalry Week (Batteries Not Included)
It sounds like Bryce Harper is looking forward to his first trip to Philadelphia.
I bet he totally checks out the Mint while he’s here.
“Hopefully I get a couple boos,” he told reporters yesterday. “That’d be awesome. … Hopefully they don’t throw any batteries at me or whatnot. We’ll see.”
Harper is ready for the series. We’ll see if the Phillies are, too. They lost momentum with a pair of losses this weekend against the Red Sox, going 3-for-21 with runners in scoring position. They play their next 20 games against teams with winning records, so they need to improve quickly in that department because there is far less margin for error against teams playing much better baseball than the Padres, Cubs and Red Sox.
The Phillies and Nationals are similar teams in a lot of ways. The Phillies are tied for seventh in the National League, averaging 4.07 runs per game. The Nationals are tied for 11th (3.78). The Phillies are fourth in batting (.265), eighth in on-base percentage (.317) and sixth in slugging (.391). The Nationals are 10th in batting (.245), eighth in on-base percentage (.317) and seventh in slugging (.390). The Nationals rank second in starter’s ERA (2.77), while the Phillies are third (3.16). Phillies starters are first in strikeout-to-walk ratio (4.65). The Nationals are second (3.85). Nationals starters are first in WHIP (1.03). The Phillies are second (1.11).
This Man Is Pumped
Jonathan Papelbon said he wanted bragging rights.
Or maybe Cinco Ocho said that.
Well, we know one of them picked up their National League-leading 12th save in tonight’s 6-4 victory over the Red Sox. Papelbon tried to downplay the fact he faced and beat his former team for the first time. Asked if the night felt any differently, he said, “There was a little extra buzz in the ballpark tonight, a weekend game. But other than that, no.” Asked later if he planned to send any text messages to his former teammates, he said, “No. We’ve got to win the series.”
Manuel Suspended, Davidson Suspended
Major League Baseball suspended Charlie Manuel one game for his involvement in Tuesday’s “on-field incident” in the eighth inning at Citizens Bank Park. He will serve that suspension tonight against the Red Sox.
But MLB also suspended umpire Bob Davidson one game for “his repeated violations of the Office of the Commissioner’s standards for situation handling.”
Guess that means Davidson did not handle that situation and others very well.
I imagine Manuel got suspended because the brim of his cap appeared to graze Davidson’s forehead. Or maybe it was just what he said. But it seemed more than fair that Davidson got dinged, too. Clearly, the Phillies bench thought Davidson interferred with Brian Schneider on the play, but Davidson escalated the situation immediately. You can hear him yelling back at the Phillies dugout on the replay.
Manuel hasn’t said anything about the incident, but it’s interesting that while he was saying something to Davidson from the dugout he didn’t seem to be overly heated. He was just kind of sitting there talking to him. But once Davidson tossed him Manuel charged out of the dugout.
You can see some expletives exhanged at that point, especially from Davidson.
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Jim Salisbury and I co-authored the book The Rotation, which is now available. Check it out here! Here are our upcoming book signings:
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- June 16: Barnes & Noble, 4801 Concord Pike, Wilmington, Del., 2:00 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
Utley Update
Chase Utley offered a quick update on his left knee before batting practice this evening at Wrigley Field.
Here is what he said:
Q: How did you feel taking grounders?
A: Ground balls went pretty well yesterday. I plan on doing some more today. I ran a little bit earlier today, which was nice. It was good to wake up feeling pretty good. That’s a good sign.
Q: You said in Washington you’d start taking ground balls, but it didn’t happen for a couple weeks. Why?
A: I was doing some things inside. I’m trying to get to a point where when we start going for it, I feel pretty comfortable. I’ve realized over the course of this time that the more I push it and feel uncomfortable, the worse it can get. We try to make small progressions. Taking ground balls yesterday was a good sign. I felt pretty good today.
Chooch Playing Like All-Star
Carlos Ruiz continues to build his case to make his first National League All-Star team.
Consider:
- He leads big-league catchers in batting average (.343), slugging percentage (.610), OPS (.999) and game-winning RBIs (four).
- He is tied for first with A.J. Pierzynski with 24 RBIs.
- He is tied for first with Carlos Santana with six go-ahead RBIs.
- He is second in home runs (six). Only Matt Wieters (seven) has more.
- He ranks third in on-base percentage (.390).
And those are just his rankings when he is hitting as a catcher. His .990 OPS overall — it’s a bit lower than his catcher OPS because he is 1-for-3 as a pinch-hitter — ranks 12th in baseball. His .602 slugging percentage is 10th.
Simply put, Chooch is one of the best hitters in baseball right now.
I know a lot of people have been asking why Charlie Manuel does not hit Ruiz third. Good question. But much like Jimmy Rollins being more comfortable hitting leadoff (despite the fact he’s hitting just .247 since his return to the top spot) and Hunter Pence being more comfortable hitting anywhere but fourth (his career .711 OPS hitting cleanup is the lowest of any spot in the order) I think Manuel believes this: Ruiz is tearing the cover off the ball. He’s comfortable. So don’t move him into a spot where he might feel more pressure to produce.
Manuel has had Ruiz hit fifth four times and sixth four times since May 5. Before this stretch Ruiz had hit higher than seventh only 31 times in his career. I say keep hitting him fifth or sixth. The Phillies are hitting .276/.328/.438 since April 22 in San Diego. They are averaging 4.9 runs per game in that span, which ranks fourth in the National League. They are scoring runs more consistently, and Ruiz is producing where he is.
Don’t screw that up.
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Since Kyle Kendrick allowed six runs in seven innings in Toronto last July, he has a 2.96 ERA in 13 starts.
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Jim Salisbury and I co-authored the book The Rotation, which is now available. Check it out here! Here are our upcoming book signings:
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- June 16: Barnes & Noble, Wilmington, Del, 2 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
Oswalt? Phillies Have Other Fish to Fry
Vance Worley is out. Kyle Kendrick is in.
The Phillies said Worley has inflammation, but no structural damage in his right elbow. They think it is mild, so they will keep him from throwing for a week. If he looks and feels OK at that point, he could begin his throwing program. They are hopeful he misses only a few starts.
But what happens if Worley doesn’t come back as expected? Or what happens if the Phillies lose another starter?
Who do they turn to? The Phillies don’t have much depth at all after Kendrick.
“The depth is an issue for us,” Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “I think it is for a lot of clubs, but depth is an issue, and if we’ve got to reach down and grab somebody else if somebody else goes down, we’ll have to get somebody who’s pitching as well … and make that assessment of who that guy is.”
Worley’s injury brought up an interesting name today: Roy Oswalt.
Could the Phillies bring him back, much like they brought back Pedro Martinez midseason in 2009? I speculated they could do just that during Spring Training. But one issue with Oswalt is how much he would want to be paid. I’m sure the Phillies would like to save some money for the bullpen or a bat come trade deadline time.
“We think he’s throwing,” Ruben Amaro Jr. said of Oswalt. “I guess he is. But right now what I’m worried about is our team playing better. That’s my focus right now. I feel comfortable with the starters we have. If we get to the point where we’re not comfortable with him then that might be something we explore. But I will tell you that right now I’m happy with our guys the way we are right now, unless something changes. I think we’ve got other fish to fry right now.”
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Jim Salisbury and I co-authored the book The Rotation, which is now available. Check it out here! Here are our upcoming book signings:
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- June 16: Barnes & Noble, Wilmington, Del, 2 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
Hunter’s Homer, Worley’s Hurt, Diekman Impressive
Ah, Chicago, Milwaukee’s little brother to the south.
The Phillies got into town last night following a 4-3 victory over Houston in 10 innings. Some crazy things happened in that game, but perhaps none as crazy as Hunter Pence‘s error in the ninth inning that allowed the tying run to score and his game-winning homer in the 10th. (To be fair, a double followed Pence’s error, so the tying run would have scored anyway, but Pence has had his troubles in right field this season and fans have let him hear it.) Elias Sports Bureau found that over the last 30 years only two other players have hit a game-winning home run after making an error that allowed the tying run or go-ahead run to score.
The others? Drum roll please …
Juan Uribe (Aug. 8, 2007) and Jimmy Rollins (June 23, 2010).
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The Phillies today placed Vance Worley on the DL with right elbow inflammation. Worley said yesterday he wasn’t worried, but whenever a pitcher has discomfort in his elbow it’s a concern. We don’t know how serious the injury is, but we should learn more today at the ballpark, so check back later for an update.
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Jake Diekman looked great in his big-league debut yesterday. The Phillies put him into a high-leverage situation and he excelled. If he continues to pitch like that it will be interesting to see how quickly he moves up the bullpen’s food chain because the Phillies desperately need late-inning stability. Antonio Bastardo has looked much better recently, which is encouraging, but Chad Qualls has a 7.36 ERA in his last nine appearances dating to April 24 and Jose Contreras isn’t reliable. He has a 9.00 ERA in 10 appearances, allowing at least one base runner in eight appearances.
One thing on the Phillies using Jonathan Papelbon in a non-save situation Monday: the Phillies often use their late-inning relievers after they have warmed up, even after the game situation has changed. I thought they might have used Diekman in the ninth Monday, but when Papelbon entered the game I wasn’t like, “Holy crap! What are they doing?!?!” I said, “Well, I guess they wanted Papelbon to pitch because he’s already warmed up.” I’m not sure if Papelbon would have been available to pitch Tuesday if he hadn’t pitched Monday, but in my opinion it comes back to this: It wouldn’t be an issue if they had more reliable arms in the bullpen. For example, in 2010 Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee could chose from Brad Lidge (2.96 ERA), Ryan Madson (2.55 ERA), Chad Durbin (3.80 ERA) and Contreras (3.34 ERA). Manuel and Dubee are incredibly shorthanded right now, which is why they really could use Diekman to step up.
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Jim Salisbury and I co-authored the book The Rotation, which is now available. Check it out here! Here are our upcoming book signings:
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- June 16: Barnes & Noble, Wilmington, Del, 2 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
Worley Has Elbow Soreness
The last thing the Phillies need is an injury to one of their starting pitchers.
But Vance Worley (3-2, 3.07 ERA) did not make the team’s trip to Chicago this evening and will miss tomorrow night’s start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field because of soreness in his right elbow. Worley will be examined tomorrow in Philadelphia.
Left-hander Joe Savery reportedly is on his way to Chicago, and could replace Worley on the roster if it is decided he needs to be placed on the 15-day disabled list.
Right-hander Kyle Kendrick will start tomorrow.
Worley said he has felt some discomfort in the elbow for about a month, but has been able to pitch through it.
“It’s something I can pitch on, but it’s just bothering me enough where I want another opinion on it,” he said.
Asked how concerned he is, he said, “I’m not worried. I just want to confirm what it is. That’s all.”
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Jim Salisbury and I co-authored the book The Rotation, which is now available. Check it out here! Here are our upcoming book signings:
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- June 16: Barnes & Noble, Wilmington, Del, 2 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
Blanton Keeps Winning
A quick turnaround today. The tarp is on the field, but the Phillies and Astros are going to try to play.
If the game is postponed, I’ll let you know via Twitter ASAP.
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Joe Blanton allowed one run in seven innings in last night’s 5-1 victory over Houston. The Phillies have won three of his last four starts, and Blanton has not taken a loss since April 22. What is interesting about that is the Phillies have not won a game Roy Halladay has pitched since April 16 — a stretch of five consecutive starts — and they have not won a game Cliff Lee has pitched all season.
Of course, that is not entirely the fault of Halladay or Lee. The Phillies scored a combined three runs in Lee’s first three starts before the bullpen blew a lead Wednesday against the Mets. Halladay has a 4.59 ERA in his last five starts, but remove that brutal effort against Atlanta on May 2 and he has a 2.89 ERA in the other four.
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Placido Polanco became the 268th player in baseball history to reach 2,000 hits. He is the 17th active player to have 2,000.
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Freddy Galvis had three hits last night. Since he started his career 0-for-12, he is hitting .260 (25-for-96) with nine doubles, one triple, one home run and 15 RBIs. His 15 RBIs rank third on the team. Only Hunter Pence (23) and Carlos Ruiz (23) have more. And that’s more than Placido Polanco (eight) and Jimmy Rollins (six) have combined.
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More and more teams are using the defensive shift, but as of last week the Phillies had employed the defense just once. Sam Perlozzo explains.
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Jim Salisbury and I co-authored the book The Rotation, which is now available. Check it out here! Here are our upcoming book signings:
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- June 16: Barnes & Noble, Wilmington, Del, 2 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
Get Up!
The Hardball Times has an excellent note about the Phillies, which seems fitting considering they are struggling to get back to .500:
Ninety years ago today the Phillies were a .500 franchise for the last time.
That’s pretty amazing, but here is the most incredible line in that note: “To get back to .500, they’d have to average 87 wins a years for the next century.”
Of course, these Phillies couldn’t care less about that. They’re 16-19 and trying to get to .500 for the first time since May 3, and above .500 for the first time since Opening Day. They are 2-1 since Charlie Manuel ripped into his team Wednesday, but they will need to play much better against much stronger competition to make a run in the National League East. I have a lot of people asking me if I think the Phillies are cooked. I don’t believe so, but they have about two months to prove me right before Ruben Amaro Jr. potentially makes big changes before the July 31 trade deadline.
So because it’s Monday and nobody likes a Debbie Downer, here are some numbers that might leave you encouraged (maybe?):
- The Phillies are averaging 4.7 runs per game over their last 19 games. If they had been scoring at that pace since Opening Day, they would rank fourth in the National League in scoring. It’s also a better clip than last season, when they averaged 4.4 runs per game for the season. If they can keep it up they should win more than they lose, assuming the pitching is there.
- Phillies starters have a 3.03 ERA, which ranks third in the league. It goes without saying the only thing that has not been an issue this season is the Phillies’ starting pitching. It has been consistently good since the beginning of the season. (Remove that brutal start against Atlanta, and Roy Hallday has a 2.12 ERA).
- It’s the bullpen that has been awful. Its 5.12 ERA is 15th in the league. It is a very small sample size against the second-worst offense in the league, but the Phillies bullpen allowed four hits, one run, two walks and struck out nine in seven innings over the weekend against the Padres. Antonio Bastardo has allowed one hit, three walks and struck out five in seven innings in his last seven appearances. Chad Qualls said he discovered a mechanical flaw in his delivery, which he said is easily fixable. He threw two scoreless innings over the weekend. And, yes, that was Jonathan Papelbon pitching in a save situation yesterday for the first time since May 1.
Make anything of those numbers?
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Jim Salisbury and I co-authored the book The Rotation, which is now available. Check it out here! Here are our upcoming book signings:
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- June 16: Barnes & Noble, 4801 Concord Pike, Wilmington, Del., 2:00 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
Todd Zolecki
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