Tuesday Update 2/10/09

A few things worth reporting in this. Again I appologize on behalf of Justin and myself for our lack of posts. I'll start off talking about Ryan howard and the Phillies avoiding arbitration with his 3 year, $54 million deal the Philly Inquirer reported on Monday. This is a great signing and personally I feel it's a steal. They aren't locking him up for too long and I personally feel he's worth more than just $18 million a year. Howard is 29 and if his production stays the same it has been in his tenure as a Phillie, you will definitely see his asking price increase. That's the only problem with the short term deal. Howard led the league last year with 48 home runs and 146 RBI's.

The Eagles free agaent right tackle Jon Runyan had surgery on his knee last week. He will be out 4-6 months but should be fine for next season said the Philly Inquirer. His only problem is that he is 35 years old. If the Eagles don't sign him back, he may have a hard time going somewhere else, especially because he'll be on crutches when the FA period starts.

The Flyers are heating up after they beat Boston on the road on Saturday in overtime on Rnady Jones lucky toss at the net. They then beat Atlanta on Sunday on the road for 14th straight time (hahaha). What also is laughable is that Antero Nittymaki is the better option than Marty Biron at this point. Biron has failed to catch fire this year and Nittymaki has. Make it happen coach. The Flyer will next play on Thursday at home versus Ottawa. They are now in 2nd place, only 6 points behind the Devils with 2 games in hand.

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Tuesday Updates 1/27/09

I haven't posted in a while but I figured I would write a few quick things: some old news, some new news, and some thoughts. First I'd like to wish the site's founder, Justin Evans, a happy birthday. He'll probably be loaded watching the Flyers start their 3-game road trip in Sunrise, FL. The game starts at 7:30 and the Flyers hope to avoid a repeat of last season when they slumped like hell coming off the break.

In old news, we heard about the Phantoms player who got knocked out on the ice and had a seizure for about 30-40 seconds. Garrett Klotz,20, was released from the hospital on Friday after the Thursday incident reported the Philly Inquirer. It was very scary because a few weeks prior, a 21 year old rookie died in an Ontario Hockey Association game. We all wish him a speedy recovery.

In other Phantoms news, center Jared Ross was named the MVP of the AHL All Star game reported the Philly Inquirer. He set AHL All Star game records with 6 assists and 7 points. He helped the American Stars beat the Canadian Stars 14-11. He became the 3rd Phantom to win MVP after goaltender Jean-Marc Pelletier (1999) and John Slaney (2001). MOre after the jump.

The Sixers traveled to and lost to a hot New Orleans 3-point game by a score of 101-86. Peja Stojakovic was disgusting in the 4th quarter, nailing 5 threes in a row. The Hornets completely blew the Sixers away at that point and didn't look back. When trying to stop Peja, they would allow Chris Paul to knife his way to the basket. Paul ended up with 27 points, 15 assists, 10 boards, and 7 steals (3 shy of a quadruple double). The Sixers did get 22 points from Thaddeus Young, 19 from Andre Miller, and 17 from Andre Iguodala but it wasn't even close to being enough to match up with what Paul and Stojakovic did to them.

And in the Phillies world, some great news arose. Chase Utley said he is confident he will be back for Opening Day the Philly Inquirer said. Utley had surgery to repair a right hip injury that was nagging him since last Spring Training and his on schedule for the 4-6 month time-table he was given after a successful surgery. He is currently rehabbing.

"Everything is progressing in a positive manner," he said. "So, yeah, I am more
optimistic than I was before. But I didn't really know what to expect before."

As long as he's confident, Phillies fans should be as well. It would be great to start the defense of our title with the best player in baseball in the lineup.

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Breaking News: J.C. Romero suspended for 50 games.

So, Bud Selig decided to suspend J.C. Romero for 50 games after MLB originally stated the substance he took and purchased OTC at GNC was legal.

While Major League Baseball never said J.C. Romero tried to cheat, the 33-year-old reliever who won the third and clinching games of the 2008 World Series has been ruled guilty of "negligence" and will be suspended for the first 50 games of the 2009 season.

Romero said on Monday that he bought a supplement from a GNC store in Cherry Hill, N.J., last July. The Players Association had told players the supplement was acceptable, but now the Philadelphia Phillies left-hander will receive a suspension and lose $1.25 million.

"I still cannot see where I did something wrong," Romero said. "There is nothing that should take away from the rings of my teammates. I didn't cheat. I tried to follow the rules."

The article on ESPN goes into great detail regarding the case. It seems like a boatload of miscommunication and flopping back by MLB. What do you know, Bud Selig and the big heads of MLB are fucking something up again.

...more on this to come when more is made available. This really puts a huge damper in the Phillies bullpen who is now back to having only one lefty reliever for about 1/3 of the season.

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Manuel, Gillick Honored by MLB.com

MLB.com each year has the fans vote to honor players, coaches, executives, and even plays and moments each year. This year, 2 Phillies were recognized by the fans and there are still a few more awards to be handed out. Charlie Manuel was voted best manager of the year and Pat Gillick was voted best executive.

We all know what both men did for the Phillies organization. Manuel led the Phillies to their first championship in 28 years and first in the city in 25 years and Gillick assembled that team. Gillicks most notable moves were trading Michael Bourn in the off season for perfect closer Brad Lidge, who is up for best closer and his final out is up for best moment in the playoffs. His other notable moves include the signing of Matt Stairs, whose home run in the WS is up for best moment in playoffs and Scott Eyre and resigning JC Romero.

Other Phillies up for awards:
-Ryan Howard lost to Albert Pujols for best hitter
-Lidge is up for best closer
-Lidge's final out in Game 5, Carlos Ruiz's walk-off dribbler in Game 3, Matt Stairs' go-ahead homer in Game 4, and Chase Utley's throw home in Game 5 are all up for post season moment of the year.

Get out and vote!

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Phillies: Moyer, Park signed; Utley speaks

After an unexciting off season and some questionable moves, the Phillies seem to have gotten the ball rolling. I'm giving Ruben Amaro a C+ so far for the off season and the grade will improve if a certain Derrick Lowe is wearing a Phillies uniform in the near future.

Enough with the intro, Jamie Moyer signed a 2 year extension with the Phillies today. This was an exceptional move by Amaro. As we all know, Moyer was a hometown hero, winning his first WS in his illustrious career with the Phillies. He was huge last year, especially since June. He was also the winning pitcher of the Division clinching game versus Washington.

Amaro admitted to being a bit concerned of Moyer's age and not wanting to go more than 1 year with his contract:

There's no question it's a concern," Amaro said of Moyer's age. "For us to go
two years guaranteed, I think shows our commitment to him, but he's probably
one of our best conditioned athletes that we have. His dedication to his craft
is as high as anybody's on our club. Jamie is going to do what he can to play
out this contract and be an effective pitcher for us. We have every reason to
believe with the way he works and the way he pitches that he can do just that,
play out his contract."

Again I feel this was an amazing move and needed to be done. With Moyer back, the rotation will look like this:
Hamels
Myers
Blanton
Moyer
Kendrick/Carrasco/Happ

Chan Ho Park also reached an agreement with Philly today to a 1 year, $2.5 million contract pending he passes a physical. As was reported in my other post, he would be a nice addition to the team if he would be placed in the bull pen. He would not be a set up man since we have Ryan Madson but he can go the long innings.

Also Chase Utley had some words on his recovery (found at the bottom of the Moyer article):

“Rehab is going well,” Utley said. “Things are progressing very well. I don’t
expect any setbacks. I feel like I’ll be ready to go, but it’s something I have
to be careful of. I want to make sure that we rehab this right. I don’t want to
have this problem again. But as of now it’s looking good.”

And on his infamous quote during the Phillies Parade (Philly.com):

"I'll tell all the kids not to use that word," Utley said. "But if they are 29
and they win the World Series, they could say that."

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Utley to have hip surgery next week

Philadelphia Phillies reported:

Well it's the off season and there is nothing to fear with this surgery. Chase will have right hip surgery that could hinder his availability for Opening Day versus Atlanta but that is all. Also on another note, Pedro Feliz will have surgery on his lower back today and should be ready for Opening Day. Utley's is scheduled for next week.

The Silver Slugger 2nd baseman had hip troubles all season, causing his numbers to fall of drastically towards the end of the year. His 2nd half batting average was still a .292 but his power numbers dropped drastically. He hit 53 extra base hits with 25 homers in the first half but only had 25 more in the final 65 games, 8 of those being homers.

Utley still had a good year, which earned him his 3rd Silver Slugger award, but his numbers could have been a lot better if he was healthy. He would have contended for the MVP as well. Heck, Howard's monstrous RBI total could have been higher too.

Phillies web site said:

Team physician Michael Ciccotti at the Rothman Institute at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Dr. Bryan Kelly at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York both recommended surgery. The recovery will allow for the initiation of baseball activities after three to four months, though the total recovery time may be four to six months.

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Chase Utley wins Silver Slugger Award

As the best 2nd baseman of the National League, Chase Utley was the only Phillie this year to take the coveted hiting award. Utley batted .292 and a .535 slugging percentage with 33 homers, 104 RBIs, 177 hits and 113 runs. He also hit 41 doubles.

This is Utley's 3rd straight Silver Slugger award. Last year, he won the award with Jimmy Rollins. Ryan Howard was beaten out by Albert Pujols for first base and Pat Burrell didn't get any recognition in the outfield.

The winners in both leagues were:

AMERICAN LEAGUE
C Joe Mauer, MIN
1B Justin Morneau, MIN
2B Dustin Pedroia, BOS
3B Alex Rodriguez, NYY
SS Derek Jeter, NYY
OF Josh Hamilton, TEX
OF Carlos Quentin, CWS
OF Grady Sizemore, CLE
DH Aubrey Huff, BAL

NATIONAL LEAGUE
C Brian McCann, ATL
1B Albert Pujols, STL
2B Chase Utley, PHI
3B David Wright, NYM
SS Hanley Ramirez, FLA
OF Ryan Braun, MIL
OF Matt Holliday, COL
OF Ryan Ludwick, STL
P Carlos Zambrano, CHC

Sources: MLB.com; Phillies.com

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UPDATE: Maddon/Piniella win Manager of the Year

Oh well Uncle Chuck. I guess you won't have a pretty Manager of the Year trophy to go next to that shiny World Series ring you have. As the trend continues, Manuel became the 6th championship manager since 2000 to not win the top skipper award.

Anyway, Rays skipper Joe Maddon ran away with the AL award and Piniella won his third title (first in the NL) in a tight race in his respective league. Maddon got the Rays their first playoff berth and pennant while Piniella coached the Cubs to their 2nd straight playoff berth since 1908.

Lou Piniella, Joe Maddon win manager of year awards [ESPN]

The next big race for Philadelphia is the NL MVP award where Ryan Howard is among a number of considerations that include Carlos Delgado, Albert Pujols, Adam Dunn, David Wright, and Lance Berkman.

In other news. Tim Lincecum of the Giants won the NL Cy Young award.

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Manuel is High Consideration for Top Skipper

At 2pm, we will find out if Uncle Chollie will be crowned the first Phillies manager to win Manager of the Year since Larry Bowa in 2001 (Bowa is the only Phillies skipper to win the award since the year they gave it out in 1983).

Sure Joe Torre led the Dodgers to their first playoff appearance in 4 years (his 13th straight year in the playoffs after 12 straight with the Yankees) and Lou Piniella led the Cubs to their 2nd straight berth and the most wins in baseball. But those 2 didn't do what Manuel did and that was win the NL Pennant and World Series.

Manuel out-coached the 4-time champion Torre, who also out coached Piniella's top-seeded squad. It should be obvious to the voters for this thing to pick the man who won it all. Unfortunately that hasn't been the case at all because since 2000, only Jim Leyland and Ozzie Guillen won the award and the World Series


Here are my points that I want to make for Manuel. First is that he had balls in sending his opening day starter in Brett Myers down to the minors. We all know Myers is a head case and this would either help him or hurt hi. Manuel took that chance and look at what Myers turned into for the 2nd half of the season.

Secondly, his use of the bench was phenomenal. Greg Dobbs was the best pinch hitter in the league and Eric Brintlett and Geoff Jenkins made big plays subbing in for Pat Burrell and pinch hitting. Chris Coste also turned into a good PH option. Manuel loved to use the double switch and he finally used it well towards the run of August and September.

Third, he got the players to give their best at all times. After Jimmy Rollins didn't run out that pop out in June/July, he benched him. He trusted Shane Victorino to be the CF and use his work effort to turn him into the monster he was in the 2nd half, offensively and defensively. And he stuck with Ryan Howard when he was in DEEP DEEP slump. We all know what Howard did once he woke up.

Also he was able to make his players believe that when they were 3 1/2 games out of the playoffs in September that it was not over. He rallied this team so many times it was amazing.

Fourth and finally, Manuel grabbed a hold of how to use this bull pen. JC Romero and Ryan Madson turned into the best set up otpions possible for Brad Lidge to be perfect all year. He also found some good relief in Scott Eyre and Chad Durbin to stick with them through out crunch time.

Charlie Manuel should be voted Manager of the year. Anyone who thinks other wise obviously was rooting for the Rays to win it all. Everyone hates Philadelphia, even when there is now doubt that they are the best team with the best coach.

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More on MLB's Failure

During the entire top half of the 6th, we had to hear Joe Buck gargle Rays semen when he was mentioning how the rain effects their running game. However, he failed to meantion how terrible it is for Cole to pitch out there and how tough it is for the defense. Oh wait, the PHILLIES run a lot too. In fact, they're the most effective base-stealing team in baseball.

The biggest problem that I have is why the game was not suspended after 5. No one in Philadelphia wants to win cheap. The game should have been resumed in the the top of the 6th, so both teams had a fair opportunity OFFENSIVELY and DEFENSIVELY to complete the game. Since the top of the sixth was played, the Phillies should have been able to bat in the bottom of the sixth while the Rays had to play in that shit.

I really don't know how Bud Selig could say it was fair. Also, I don't think the Rays scoring truly lead to the suspension because it looked like there were plans to call it before that inning was even completed. However, if that was the case, why not suspend it at 5? Cole Hamels was forced to throw all fastball because his curveball and change-up were completely ineffective with the wind and rain.

I'm not mad about the suspension at all. Shit happens, it's mother nature. I'm just upset at when the umpires that the game should be suspended as if the weather drastically changed going from the 5th to the 6th and after a half inning.

Major League Baseball continues to try and improve ratings after the strike, but Bud Selig continues to proove that he is a failure at his job and he needs to leave as soon as possible.

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The Wait is Over

When you're five, you don't know much about your surroundings. You feel like your purpose in life is to wake up, eat your Trix, watch Bugs Bunny cartoons all morning, and do whatever your mom tells you. Sure that was the case for me, but I also was aware of something else in my life: baseball.

I knew who the Phillies were and that's about it. I knew the names of those players inside and out: Inky, Dutch, Dude and Kruker. Micky Morandini and Mariano Duncan and Kevin Stocker. I knew who that big green fur ball was. I loved the Phillies.

The one thing I did not know though was how magical that team really was. They were a team of cast offs and nobodies. I did not know that they not only won their division but beat the Braves and went to the World Series, losing to Joe Carter and the Blue Jays in game 6. I didn't quite understand or grasp the heartbreak. That little kid in Atlantic City just loved his Phillies.


14 years later and an enormous trend of heartbreak and even questioning of faith (I considered being a Cardinals fan after they traded Scott Rolen, my favorite player), the Phillies were out of the division race as the Mets held onto an insurmountable lead in the East. It was looking like another heartbreaking season for the Phillies. But the heartbreak went to New York fans as they watched their Mets crumble and the hated Phillies sneak in. I was at that last game of the season and I will never forget seeing them break a 14 year post season drought.

After they got swept by Colarado, I was hurt again. The high of making the playoffs wasn't good enough. I immediatley felt like this team was going to be a competitor. Then Jimmy Rollins spoke up: "We are going to win 100 games this year." Hearing those words come from the same guy saying the Phillies were the team to beat the year prior, I knew this season was going to be magical.

All year my faith was tested. Rollins was awful, Ryan Howard was worse, and the Phillies were struggling to score. They were lucky that the rest of the division was weak, keeping them in it. The race truly started in August as the Phils and Mets traded the division lead. It wasn't until they swept the Brewers in that 4 game series that the feeling I had for this team arose.

They had a fire in them. I also started to get this strange feeling in the pit of my stomach. Is wasn't anything big, but it was there. After I watched Rollins make the diving stop, the flip to Chase Utley, and the throw to Howard to clinch the division, that feeling rose back up.

When the Phillies handled the Brewers in 4 games, it grew stronger, and as soon as they took a 3-1 lead on the Dodgers, I started to notice it and pay attention to it. When Brad Lidge forced Nomar Garciaparra to hit a pop up to Carlos Ruiz, that feeling hit me hard. Emotions I have never felt exploded through me as I sat on the couch in my apartment. A few tears were squeezed out and I knew right there that no matter if it's Boston or Tampa Bay (likely the latter), that this team that Pat Gillick assembled will win the World Series.

I sit here, wearing my Cole Hamels tee shirt, looking at my Phillies hat and newly bought NL Championship shirt, I begin to count the days until game 1. Bring on the American League! Let's Go Phillies!

TEAM
TO
BEAT!

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Phillies Retake First

Joe Blanton pitched well tonight, going 5 innings and giving up 2 runs in the Phillies 3-2 win. He gave up 4 hits, walked 2, and struck out 9. The bull pen also pitched great, giving up 3 hits in 4 innings, striking out 7. Brad Lidge closed the 9th, earning save number 39.

Shane Victorino had a solo home run and got 2 hits. Gregg Dobbs also had 2 hits including a double. Chase Utley drove in a run as well as Dobbs and Victorino. Utley also had the only other hit for the Phillies, whose offense was terrible.

The Mets lost 4-2 to the Braves, puting them .5 games back to the Phillies. The Brewers also lost to Cincinnati, putting them 2.5 games behind the Mets for the Wild Card. The Phillies also hold a 3 game lead on Milwaukee in case the give up the division. The Mets still have an extra game in hand.

Pitching Probables for tomorrow:
J. Moyer (14-7, 3.86), C. Volstad (5-3, 3.07)

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Phils Continue Chase With Win

Shane Victorino said Cole Hamels' last start was a fluke. Well he was right. Hamels went 6.1 strong innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits and 3 walks. He also struck out 4. Manny Para got absolutely shelled in his 1.1 innings pitched, giving up 5 runs.

Jimmy Rollins went 3-5 with a homer, 3 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Chase Utley went 2-4, scoring 2 runs and driving in 1. It's about time he contributed. Ryan Howard also drove in 2 and Jayson Werth and Victorino added 1 a piece.

There's not much left to report on the game. The Phillies are now 2 games back in the Wild Card and 2.5 behind the Mets. They Mets split today so they gained a half game on the Phillies, who play a double header tomorrow.

Probables:
1:35 - D. Bush (9-10, 4.23), J. Blanton (7-12, 4.86)
7:35 - J. Suppan (10-8, 4.63), B. Myers (9-11, 4.22)

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Phillies Win All 3 Coin Flips

The MLB decided who would be the home team in all 1 game tie breakers if they became necessary. The Phillies won all 3 flips. They will host Milwaukee, Houston, and St. Louis if they have to decide the Wild Card between them.

They will also host the Mets for the East if both teams are NOT guarenteed play off spots. If both are then the team with the best head-to-head record will win the division and the other will be the Wild Card team, which in this case, the Mets will win the division.

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Moyer Wins 14th vs. Milwaukee

Jamie Moyer looked good again as his performance as the Phillies won 6-3. Moyer (14-7) went 5.2 innings giving up only 4 hits, 2 of them being a solo and 2-run homer by JJ Hardy and Prince Fielder, respectively. He also struck out 5 and walked 1. Brad Lidge pitched the 9th for his 36th save in as many chances.

Ryan Howard had another monster game as he went 2-3 with a 2 run home run in the first, his Major League leading 43rd, and then he hit an RBI double that bounced off the top of the padding in center field.

Jimmy Rollins and Pedro Feliz also had 2 hits. Chase Ultey and Pat Burrell both continued with their struggles as they went 1-8 with 3 strikeouts combined.

The Phillies moved to within 3 games back of New York, who had the day off yesterday. Cole Hamels will take the mound tonight and will be facing Manny Para.

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Phils Blank Mets; 2 Games Back

Brett Myers was on a mission. With the Phillies coming into a crucial series versus New York, they were able to take game 1 of the 3 game series, winning 3-0. Myers (10-9) pitched excellent again, going 8 innings and giving up 3 hits and walking 2. He also struck out 10 batters. Brad Lidge came in the 9th and scared us but got his 34th save of the year.

The Phillies got the offense going early in the 1st on a Chase Utley ground out, scoring in Shane Victorino. Later in the 7th, Greg Dobbs hit a 2 run homer to cap off the scoring for the Fightin's.

Pitching tomorrow night will be 2 old guys in Jamie Moyer (12-7, 3.80) and Pedro Martinez (5-3, 5.07).

Let's Go Phillies!

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Fightin' Phils!

Hey Pedro, I guess the Phillies are your daddy. After trailing 7-0 in the 4th, the Phillies were able to beat the Mets 8-7 in a 13 inning thriller.

After the poor start by Jamie Moyer, the Phillies started their slow climb. In the bottom of the 4th, Pedro Feliz hit a sac fly to score in Shane Victorino. They then tacked on 4 runs in the 5th with 2 run homers by Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard.

In the 8th, Carlos Ruiz scored on a J-Roll single and in the 9th, Eric Bruntlett came through with the clutch pinch hit double that drove in Jayson Werth from 1st. The bull pen did amazing all night to keep the Mets from taking the game back.

After scoreless innings through the extra frames, Shane Victorino led off the 13th with a triple. New York immediately walked both Werth and Bruntlett to get to pinch hitter Brett Myers. It was obvious the Phillies didn't want him swinging to chance hitting into a double play so he struck out looking with a full count.

With one out and the bases loaded, Chris Coste comes up after pinch hitting in the 8th to stay in. He was 3-3 at the time coming in and he made it 4-4 with the game winning base hit that sailed way over Carlos Beltran's head.

With that win, the Phillies leap frogged the Mets to take a .5 division lead. They play tonight as Kyle Kendrick and Johan Santana face eachother. I'll be at the game tonight cheering hard for the Fightins'.

Game note: Rollins continued his hot bat going 5-7 with 3 RBIs, a double and home run.

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Payback's A Bitch

After going to LA and getting swept by the Dodgers last week in 4 games, the fans in Philly feared a repeat or another dismal performance versus LA. Well the outcome was much different. The Phillies capped a 4 game sweep at home of the Dodgers with a 5-0 win Monday night.

Taking the mound for the Phillies was Brett Myers, who followed up his shut out win versus Washington with 7 scoreless innings against LA. He went 7, giving up 9 hits and 3 walks. He also struck out 8. His curve ball has truly become nasty again and the velocity on his fastball is back. He is now freezing and fooling hitters with both pitches, something Phillies fans are happy to see again.

Jimmy Rollins, who entered the game batting .087 (4-for-46) since calling Philadelphia fans "front-runners", had a single, double and triple, and drove in two runs. He showed a lot of hustle scoring on a double play and on an infield grounder from 2nd.

Jayson Werth also had a great game as he drove in a run himself. But that was over shadowed by his great plays in the field, including him running down a line drive hit by Manny Ramirez in the 7th with bases loaded and the Phillies only up 3-0. He basically saved the game.

The Phillies open tonight's 2 game series with the Mets. The Phillies can come out of this series either 1.5 up or .5 and 2.5 games back. I would love to see the first out come. But it won't be easy as tonight the Phillies be facing Pedro Martinez (4-3; 4.97) tonight and Johan Santana (12-7; 2.64) tomorrow. The will be putting Jamie Moyer (11-7; 3.54) and Kyle Kendrick (11-7; 4.87) on the mounds for both nights.

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An LA Ass Kicking

This is a picture of Ryan Howard's home run swing. I know I'm good.

The Phillies beat the Dodgers 8-1 last night. Kyle Kendrick woke up finally. Yes his pitch count was high and he only lasted 5.2 innings but he pitched well. He kept the Dodgers off the bases, and the only run he gave up was an early solo shot from Andre Ethier.

I was at the game and yes I enjoyed watching the offense heat up and manufacture runs. Also the 3 long balls were nice to see as well. The first came from Ryan Howard, a 2 run bomb in the 4th, Chris Coste capped a 4 run 6th with a 3 run show, and Chase Utley lined a shot to dead center in the 7th. Howard's homer was his 34th of the year and he now has 106 RBIs for the season. Utley is at 31 and 85.

Greg Maddux, known as a Phillie killer in the prime of his career, was looking just as that until he started getting whacked around. After 3 innings, he only threw a little over 20 pitches. He left in the 6th after Coste's shot.

The game today is at 4 EST on FOX. Pitching for the Phillies is Cole Hamels (10-8; 3.22). He is facing Clayton Kershaw (2-3; 2.39).

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Another shitty night but it's a win

Cole Hamels pitched fantastic as the Phillies won 2-1, beating the Padres. They remained 2 games back of New York as they shit out Pittsburgh. Hamels (10-8) went 8 innings giving up 1 run on 7 hits. He also struck out 3. Brad Lidge came in to close his 30th game.

Pat Burrell hit his 29th home run to put Philly up 2-0 in the 6th and Jayson Werth drove in Jimmy Rollins in the first on a sacrifice fly after Rollins made it to 3rd on a throwing error. Nothing more to report because the game was fucking boring. Oh the Phillies struck out 8 times.

Thank God they are off tomorrow so they can figure out their shit when they come home to play Washington, LA, and NY.

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