New Faces, Mayberry and Chooch
Quite a bit of turnover this week, huh?
Gone from the roster are Michael Schwimer, Joe Savery, Brian Sanches and Erik Kratz. Laynce Nix landed on the DL, but we’ll throw him in there, too. Replacing them are Cliff Lee, Jake Diekman, Raul Valdes, Hector Luna and Mike Fontenot.
There are no major trades to be made in early May, so the Phillies front office tweaked a few things in hopes of improving the bullpen and providing a spark to the bench. Although it goes without saying Nix is the biggest loss of that bunch. He is hitting .326 with a .979 OPS.
The most intriguing name of the recent arrivals (not including Lee) is Diekman. The Phillies love his potential and he put up great numbers in Triple-A. If he can handle the promotion and the adjustment to big-league hitters, he could have an impact on the bullpen like Mike Stutes had last season.
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I’m off this weekend, but Paul Hagen is covering the series. Here’s his game story from last night’s victory over San Diego.
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John Mayberry Jr. was hitting .175 on April 22. He is hitting .314 (11-for-35) with two doubles, one home run and four RBIs since. It would be a tremendous lift for the lineup if he can get going.
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Carlos Ruiz is third among big-league catchers in home runs (six), first in RBIs (22), first in batting average (.340), third in on-base percentage (.381) and first in slugging (.606). If Ruiz keeps this up he could be headed to his first All-Star Game.
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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.
Random Video of the Day
I have a lot of random thoughts pop into my head during the day, but today I randomly thought about Eric Bruntlett‘s unassisted triple play in 2009. Bruntlett hit .202 with a .550 OPS in his Phillies career. He not only turned an unassisted triple play with Philadelphia, he also scored the winning runs in Games 3 and 5 of the 2008 World Series.
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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.
Schwimer: Diekman, Valdes and Luna Called Up
Congrats to diekman, valdes, and luna for being called up!
— michael schwimer (@mschwimer) May 10, 2012
So it looks like the Phillies are making more than one change to the 25-man roster before Friday’s series opener aganist the Padres. The team announced Wednesday they had optioned left-hander Joe Savery to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. They said then they would make a corresponding move Friday.
But Triple-A right-hander Michael Schwimer announced on his Twitter account today that left-handers Jake Diekman and Raul Valdes and infielder Hector Luna are headed to Philadelphia. The Phillies have not made any official moves, and have not returned calls seeking confirmation. Right-hander Brian Sanches and catcher Erik Kratz are the most likely to be sent out. Laynce Nix also could be DL’s because of a strained left calf, which would keep Kratz around.
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Got a book signing tonight. Check out the information below!
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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:
- TONIGHT: Tredyfrrin Public Library in Stafford, PA, 7:30 p.m.
- 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.
Time for a Talk
So what was Charlie Manuel‘s tipping point?
“Sitting there watching that game,” he snapped.
Manuel called a team meeting following last night’s brutal 10-6 loss to the Mets.
Manuel was asked following Tuesday’s loss why he had not spoken to his team yet. He said he did not know what to say. Well, he found the words last night.
People outside the team always want the manager to hold team meetings. They love the idea of him storming into the clubhouse, flipping the postgame spread and throwing chairs against the wall. Only if you’re the manager and you do that too often (or do that even once) the players start looking at you as a buffoon. Manuel picks his spots carefully, and he has a good track record with team meetings.
Here are the team meetings I found after doing a quick search and the immediate and long term response (I’m sure there a few meetings I missed, but this should give you the gist):
Phillies Need Relief
More of the same.
The Phillies offense has been the focus since the beginning of the season, and it played a role in last night’s 7-4 loss to the Mets. The offense scored its runs in the first two innings, but shut down the engines and barely made a noise the rest of the night.
That seems to happen often.
But it’s the bullpen that is this team’s Achilles heel right now. It has been absolutely dreadful.
Phillies relievers had a 2.01 ERA in 14 appearances through April 20. They have a 6.97 ERA in 16 appearances since.
Who Are The Phillies Really?
It is May 8. The Phillies are 30 games into the season, and they are last in the National League East.
They have not been in last place this late in a season since July 8, 2005.
Thirteen times the Phillies had a chance to move to .500. They lost eight times. Six times they had a chance to move over .500. They lost every time. This is a team that boasts Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels in its rotation. It has Jonathan Papelbon as its closer. It has Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz in its lineup.
Last place.
Hamels Suspended Five Games, Fined
The moment Cole Hamels admitted he purposely drilled Bryce Harper with a pitch Sunday everybody knew he would be suspended.
He was.
Major League Baseball on Monday suspended him five games and fined him an undisclosed amount for his bean ball. Hamels did not appeal the suspension and began serving it immediately.
The effect of the suspension on the Phillies is minimal. Hamels, who was unavailable to comment before Monday’s series opener against the Mets at Citizens Bank Park, had been scheduled to pitch Saturday against the San Diego Padres. But because the Phillies do not play Thursday, it is a smart bet they will have Roy Halladay pitch Saturday on regular rest and push Hamels’ next start to Sunday.
Oh, It Is On
And the rivarly between the Phillies and Nationals just kicked up another notch. (From 10 to 11?)
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo absolutely blasted Cole Hamels in an interview with The Washington Post.
A few highlights:
- “I’ve never seen a more classless, gutless chicken [bleep] act in my 30 years in baseball.”
- “He’s fake tough.”
- “No one has ever accused Cole Hamels of being old school.”
Good news for Phillies fans: The pool of teams interested in signing Hamels in the offseason shrunk by one. Bad news for Phillies fans: Expect Hamels to be suspended.
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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:
- May 10: Tredyfrrin Public Library in Stafford, PA, 7:30 p.m.
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
- June 16: Barnes & Noble, Wilmington, 2:00 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
Just a reminder: The Phillies and Nationals play a three-game series at Citizens Bank Park on May 21-23.
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A Rivalry Is Born
I’m not sure what is going to happen the rest of the season, but I know a few things:
- The Nationals are legit. They are a talented and hungry team. They want what the Phillies have and they are playing like it.
- The Phillies are better than this, but they have to show it.
- Cole Hamels‘ asking price did not drop last night. He pitched like a guy who is worth$120 million or more.
- He probably will be suspended or fined for his honesty.
- Bryce Harper is the real deal. Talented. Smart. Energetic. Aggressive. Charlie Manuel raved about him. Said he loves his hustle. Even mentioned the ball Harper could not quite leap to catch late in the game. Couldn’t agree more. Harper is special. You know you’d love to have him on your team.
- The Phillies found their next great rival following last night’s 9-3 victory at Nationals Park.
I know there are 133 more games to play, but the Phillies could not have afforded to get swept this weekend. It would have dropped them to 13-16 and 6 1/2 games behind the Nationals. I know Washington has not proven anything yet, but you’ve got to think its pitching is for real. And if its pitching is for real the Nationals are going to be in a lot of games this season. And while I know they have their share of offensive concerns, especially with Jayson Werth breaking his left wrist and missing at least the next six weeks, I don’t look at them like other early-season surprises that faded down the stretch.
I don’t look at them and say, “They’re totally over their skis right now.”
The Phillies know this, which made Ian Desmond‘s comments after the game very interesting. Asked how emotionally charged the game and series was, he said, “I was actually a little surprised. Usually, it seems that the Phillies aren’t that hyped up to come play us. I think they realized that they needed to step up a little bit, and that’s nice. It’s nice to have that feeling of: Hey, they’re intense over there. Usually when we play them, they’re not. And I think they realize we’ve got a good ballclub, and they needed to kind of take it up a notch. … That was a fun game to play in, a fun game to attend. Obviously the ninth inning got away from us, but I think they were still worried.”
Before he got injured last night, I thought Werth made an interesting comment. He pointed out the Phillies are playing without Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Cliff Lee right now, but the Nationals are playing without Ryan Zimmerman and Michael Morse. (And, of course, now Werth himself.) It’s not like the Phillies are the only team not playing at full strength. When the Nationals are at full strength they will be much improved, too. So the Phillies have to step up their play. They need to start being more consistent offensively, and figure out how they are going to work a bullpen that has been mostly scatter shot.
I look at this weekend as a wake up call for them.
One more thing: I can’t wait for the Nationals to come to Philly on May 21-23.
Good night …
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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:
- May 10: Tredyfrrin Public Library in Stafford, PA, 7:30 p.m.
- June 2: Citizens Bank Park, 3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Check out my Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.
A Step Closer for Utley
Chase Utley is a little closer to rejoining the Phillies.
He physically rejoined them today at Nationals Park, although he remains at least a few weeks away from rejoining the Phillies lineup. Utley, who is on the disabled list with chondromalacia in his left knee, will rehab with the team until he feels ready to begin playing rehab games in Clearwater, Fla.
He spent about two weeks playing in rehab games last season before he rejoined the team.
Could he need just another two weeks this time?
Todd Zolecki
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