Magic Number Remains at 3

Both the Mets and Brewers won last night in late-inning fashion to move only one game behind the Phillies for both the division and final playoff spot. Getting nervous? I wouldn't feel nervous if the Nats did not give us games all year. The Phillies have only gone 9-6 against the worst team in the National League.

It is very highly unlikely that the Phillies or Mets will play tonight because of the weather, likely forcing teams to scramble and play either a double-header on Sunday or games on Monday.

This is for all the marbles or at least a playoff spot? How do you feel? The Phillies controlled their own destiny with plenty of ease in the final week, but now they have to scoreboard watch and rely on the help of the Florida Marlins and Chicago Cubs.

If the Phillies fail to make the playoffs, I truly am not sure about what I am going to do. No, I won't be jumping off any bridges, but it may be the tipping point to where I totally stop caring about baseball or this organization anymore. I really don't think I can continue to handle the depressing nonsense year after year.

Well, they're going to make the playoffs, right? There's too many stars on this team for it to not to happen. They're going to field properly and cut the shit out with the pathetic at-bats they put on display against the Braves.

Continuing reading...

Pat and the Kids

Update: The Mets lost 9-5 to the Cubs.

The offense got it started early again when Rollins and Utley hit back-to-back doubles to go up 1-0 in the first. Shane Victorino scored in the 2nd on a Ruiz ground-out.

J.A. Happ was once again able to put together a good big league start, though his only blemish was a 2-run home run that he allowed with 1 out in the 7th inning to tie the game. That home run was only one of the 5 hits he allowed and he also struck out 5. After Happ got another out, Rudy Seanez came in to get the final out of the inning.

The eigth however looked a little scary. Kelly Johnson led off the inning with a double, but reached third base on an error. Omar Infante hit the next ball hard, but lined it to Rollins. Then, Seanez got Francoeur to chase a low pitch that he grounded to Rollins. Rollins fired the ball home to get Johnson out at home. Scott Eyre got Casey Kotchman to line out to center to end the inning.

The bottom of the inning was all smiles. Greg Dobbs lead off the inning with a pinch-hit single. Pinch-runner Greg Golson reached third base on a terrible pick-off throw by Jeff Bennett. After a Rollins ground out and intentional walk to Chase Utley, Jayson Werth hit a soft grounder to third. The speedy Golson slid in before the tag at home to make it 3-2. Howard followed it all up with a deep fly ball to left, but it was Pat Burrell who sent the crowd into a frenzy. Pat the Bat sent a 3-1 pitch deep into the left field stands to boost the Phillies lead to 6-2.

With Brad Lidge unavailable, Ryan Madson pitched the ninth to close things out.

Division Magic # = 4
Wild Card Magic # = 3

Continuing reading...

My First Visit to Shea

First, I want to post that the Phillies signed Tad Iguchi.

Anyway, here we go:

8:00ish: After falling asleep until 4AM the night before, I woke up around 8 to find out that the hot water heater was broken. So, to add to the morning rush, I had to get to my grandparents so I could take a shower.

10:20: We finally start our venture up the Garden State Parkway to the Metro Park, NJ train station. Accompanying me is my friend Rooney (a Mutt fan) and Martin, a kid we worked with from Slovakia. Martin has never been to New York City (or a baseball game), so we went up early to show him some of the city.

11:30: We got our tickets to get into New York Penn Station. We're waiting for the 11:46 train. Metro Park is doing a lot of construction and this place looks like the station barely survived a WW2 bombing.

11:55: The train is late. As I mentioned earlier I am going with a Mets fan. I am pondering laying out on the track. Why am I going to Shea? Why have I already wasted $45 to go to that dump and I'm not even in the city yet.

12:42: We arrive underneath Madison Square Garden. It is hotter than Hell.

Now the following events pretty much happen between 1 and 4:45ish:

So, we got up to the street level and started walking around the city. Before we got to Times Square, I got a text from my friend to meet her @ Bryant Park. She was there modeling in shows for Fashion Week or Month, whatever it is and we met up with her real quick. (side note: Wow, a lot of hot girls in that area.)

After that, we ventured back over to Times Square and the surrounding area on 7th Avenue and all over. We went to your normal tourist spots and we thought it was cool that they set up a giant screen in Rockefeller Center for people to hang out and watch the U.S. Open.

We then venture over to the NHL Store and NBA Store. I might have mentioned this before, but the NBA Store makes the NHL store look like a joke. The NHL store is terrible and looks like some shitty store you'd see inside the mall with some hockey jerseys. They don't even have rare or hard to find things that you can buy for cheaper. The NBA store was awesome, but they did not have any Sixers jerseys in the 1983 style. An Elton Brand jersey in that style will be my first Sixers purchase in a long time.

We then walked up toward Central Park and checked out some of the Central Park zoo from the outside. I used to work on 55th and Fifth Avenue, so I've done most of this walking stuff often and I'm still happy I can find my way around.

We finally start trying to find our way to the 7 train and we have to head all the way back to Bryant Park. There are pretty much three stops for the 7 train in Manhattan: Times Square, Bryant Park, and Grand Central.

Around 4:30 we get on the 7 train and venture out to Queens. I'm sorry, wait, no I'm not; if I ever hear a Met fan say Filthadelphia one more time, I am going to flip shit. Queens is one of the dirtiest looking cities I've ever seen (of course my only view was from the Subway window).

5:05ish: We get up to the Shea Stadium stop. Before we venture into the stadium, we decide to walk around the U.S. open area in the park nearby. Arthur Ashe stadium looks great and the whole facility looks nice, if you're into watching tennis live.

5:25ish: We finally went inside Shea just before the Phillies began their batting practice. The Phillies had two lefties hitting them at left and right. Matt Stairs was one of them, but I could not tell who the other one was. Is Geoff Jenkins cleared to take BP?

So, we're watching the Phillies BP and I'm starving and thirsty, but the only beer Shea has is Budweiser and the food looks like shit. Absolutely nothing liked appealing in the stadium that had a stench of piss. The seats were metal and not very comfortable, adding into the fact I was surrounded by Mets fans. There was a decent amount of Phillies fans, but we all know the big trip for the Phillies fans was going to be today. Too bad it has been moved to tomorrow already because of Tropical Storm Hannah.

Anyway, there's a whole lot of nothing going on for awhile, so I'm just taking pictures of Shea and what I can see from Citi Field. Citi Field looks like it is going to be beautiful and I love how they've borrowed some things from Ebbets Field.

7:10ish and awhile after: The game finally starts and Victorino gets on quickly. We scored in the first on a ground out by Chase. Brett Myers got in a little trouble, but got a nice ground ball by Delgado for a double play. Before Delgado's at-bat, Mets fans were chanting "M-V-P, M-V-P". This is the same guy they booed unmercifully and wanted off the team a little before the All-Star break.

Anyway, the game developed into a pitcher's duel and Brett Myers was just dealing. He threw first-pitch fastball to almost every Mets' hitter and made them look silly with his curveball. Mets' were loud when the Mets' staff tried to pump them up. I'll give them that, Shea Stadium can get very loud. Anyway, a little before 9PM, I decided for some reason I should video tape Greg Dobbs at-bat. Dobbs seems to see Pelfrey well and I was surprise that Jerry Manuel did not bring in a lefty. Well, here is the video:


All of the Mets fans thought that Ryan Church made the catch and they cheered loud, until they realized Dobbs was still circling the bases and the Phillies went up 3-0. Mets fans started leaving the stadium, but a lot of them did stay. Myers got through the 8th, but he was done and Lidge came into get the save. God, it started to get scary, but I'm happy as hell that we did not trade Victorino. He's an amazing center fielder and one of the best in baseball. Also, great play by Bruntlett there, but I am not sure why he is our defensive outfield substitute. Which leads me to ask, why is So Taguchi still on the team? Anyway, we got the win and it was crazy trying to get out of Queens. I have pictures of the mass exodus up the Subway ramps. It was absolutely nuts.

Anyway, we finally get back into Times Square on what was supposed to be an Express train, but it wasn't. We walk around the area a little more looking for a bathroom, but most places had their damn bathroom closed. It was absolutely fucking retarded. I finally find one in the Virgin MegaStore. The whole night I wanted a slice of pizza, but there was no one in the area to get any. We got back to Penn Station hoping to catch the 11:42 train, but after finally getting a Starburst and green tea at the Duane Reade, we had just missed it. The next train was at 12:42, so we had to wait an hour in ome incredibily uncomfortable chairs. It absolutely sucked. Around 12:30 the train got there (it was one of the new double-decker NJ transit trains) and it was nice except for a really annoying drunk girl talking loudly about God knows what. I wanted to shove my foot in her mouth.

We arrive in Metro Park around 1:30 and I didn't get home to my bed until about 3:15AM. All to see fucking Shea Stadium before they blow that dump up.
3-1 on the year for Phils-Mets games I've attended. 5-5 on the year as a whole and I have one scheduled game left against Milwaukee.

Continuing reading...

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!

Continuing reading...

Yay, We Didn't Cost Cole Another Win!

Someone out there had to be able to cool down the Nationals, so the Phillies turned to none other than King Cole. Hamels pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings to help the Phillies win 4-0. Hamels struck out 6 Nationals and scattered 5 hits to lower his season ERA to 3.01.

Jimmy Rollins, who continues to stay hot, went 2-3 while knocking in two Phils. Both Utley and Rollins provided 2-out RBIs in the third inning for the Phillies. The offensive bad news, however, is that Pat Burrell is continuing to struggle at the plate at such a bad time. Hopefully he finds himself tonight before heading to New York for a weekend series.


Speaking of New York, they won in extra innings, after the Milwaukee Brewers blew many opportunities to make the game a rout (even after falling behind 5-1 early.) The Mets maintain their 2-game lead. The Mets game will be over today before the Phillies take the field, so the Phillies will know if they have ground to gain or maintain. Also, an interesting twist is developing as Milwaukee continues to lose, the Phillies are inching closer and closer to the Wild Card. Joe Blanton will be on the hill tonight for the Phillies and he'll face off against Odalis Perez, who somehow owns a 6-3 record with a 2.70 ERA against the Phillies.

Continuing reading...

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

We are nearing Labor Day weekend and the boys of summer are transforming into the boys of October, but are our Phils? After blowing the lead last night to split with the Mets, the Phillies fell back to .5 game behind the Mets in the division. Because of Tuesday night and a lethargic bullpen, Manuel's hand was forced to put in Rudy Seanez. I understand he was handcuffed, but the move I hated was replacing Pat Burrell for So Taguchi. Someone has to tell Charlie that Taguchi is simply not even better, so the move is worthless.

With only 29 games left, I am going to give you three different viewpoints on how you can look at the Phillies over the final weeks.

The Good (Optimism): The Phillies and Mets both have lost 60 games this season. The Phillies have one less win because they've played one less game. If the Phillies somehow take 3 of 4 from the Cubs and the Mets even take 2 of 3 from the Marlins, we'll still be tied from the division. Fans, we can tie the division up tonight and we'll be looking to Cole Hamels to do so against Ryan Dempster. We worried about setting up a Hamels-Santana match-up, but it might be better off that Hamels is pitching tonight. Kendrick pitched well enough for the team to get the win. Also, the Phillies may have found that left-handed reliever they needed earlier in games as Scott Eyre has pitched very well since coming over from the Cubs.

The Phillies have won 8 of 10 games and inched 2 games closer to the Mets in the past few weeks. Even with blowing yesterday's game, the Phillies are not going to win every single night. Jimmy Rollins is starting to heat up and that might trigger the rest of the lineup to stay hot. Whenever he slumps, the whole team slumps. Howard has homered in back to back games and even homered off the left-handed hitting Santana. That is good news as well. Also, Pedro Feliz is back in the lineup and he will provide some pop along with some much needed, great defense on the hot corner.

Also, outside of Moyer's bad start, the starting pitching has been doing well. Yesterday's bullpen debacle was more or less an effect of the night before. It is hard to say the bullpen is slumping now because frankly, everyone was tired and just about everyone was unavailble. If the game happened after September 1st, the Phillies would have likely held onto the win with expanded rosters.

Speaking of expanding the rosters, virtually everyone who could add to the Mets is already up. Guys like Murphy and so forth have been up with the Mets for awhile because they're depleted with injuries. The Phillies on the other hand will not have much to bring up, but we'll never have to see Carlos Ruiz play third base again this season. As of right now, the Phillies can call up: Joe Bisenius, TJ Bohn, Fabio Castro, Mike Cervanek, JA Happ, Adam Eaton, Brad Harman, Jason Jaramillo, Oscar Robles, and RJ Swindle. If any of their 5 players currently on the DL are moved to the 60-day, then the Phillies can replace them with another player. Sorry, if you were looking for guys like Marson, Carrasco, Golson, and Donald. The Phillies did not feel they would be ready at this point this season to place them on the 40-man roster. Zagurski has been moved to the 60-day DL, so it'll be interesting to see who replaces him on the 40-man roster.

Some of the pitchers may help the bullpen because Manuel will be able to use guys to get just one out and so forth. I would not expect much from the position players. There is still a full month of baseball left and hopefully the call-ups provide a sudden boost to this team. It's not over yet.

The Bad (Realist Outlook): If the Phillies do not take 3 of 4 from the Cubs this weekend, it is going to be tough. The Phillies could probably live with a split, but if they lose 3 or get swept, it is hard to see this team continuing to stay close in the division for much longer. The Phillies schedule is harder than the Mets at the end of the year like the Phillies schedule was easier than the Mets to start the year.

Sometimes it seems that like when the starter's pitch well, the bats die. When the bats are alive, the starter's struggle. When they both do well, the bullpen has a tough time lately. For the Phillies to continue to compete, they need to find some form of consistent unity among the three. Realistically, we've still won 8 of 10, but yesterday was a huge must-win. We can avenge the loss next weekend by taking 2 of 3 from the Mets at Shea, but if that does not happen, it might be tough to come back from it. The Mets have been rising in the second half, not dying like last year and they'll have September call-ups as well. Their role players have become key to their success this season, while everyone off the bench except Dobbs and Coste have provided little if anything.

Sometimes I feel that we're just wasting roster spots by holding onto So Taguchi and so on. They got rid of Andy Tracy thankfully as he was just another waste of a roster spot or dead weight on the team.

The bullpen has been very good this year, but they're getting very tired. Charlie Manuel needs to do a better job of managing the pen down the stretch or he is going to kill some arms. Sometimes he leaves pitchers in a lot longer than they should be. If you're going to try and stretch arms, stretch the starters who are used to throwing more pitches, not the pen.

Also, Charlie, don't pull Pat Burrell anymore. His bat in every inning is far more important than not having his defense...but wait, don't you want the guy in the game when he's among the leaders of outfield assists?

I am no fan of Pat Gillick or Charlie Manuel. I think as fans we could live with one or the other, but both of them together compounded with the rest of the front-office is devastating at times.

The Ugly (Pessimist): Even if the team somehow wins the division, it is hard to see this team doing much in the playoffs. The inconsistency factor plagues this team from top to bottom and their peaks and valleys are far too high and low. At times it seems like one long roller coaster waiting to derail at the bottom. I think Charlie Manuel is a guy that could be a good bench coach, but he has managed 97 win Cleveland teams out of doing well in the playoffs. He's an instinct manager more than a guy that uses his brain. Sure, you like a guy that feels good about the move he is making, but I'd also like him to go over the idea in his head a little more often.

If Manuel has a better supporting cast around him, I think the Phillies could be better off at this point, but with guys like Dubee and so forth it seems like one big 'pick a move out of a hat and hope it works' situation.

Currently, the Phillies have a lot of dead-weight on the roster. Carlos Ruiz and So Taguchi have offered little offensive OR defensive support this year. The only reason Ruiz is still here is because Coste is that much worse defensively.

The Phillies have only one hitter hitting over .300 and that is Greg Dobbs. However, as a starter he only has a .765 OPS. Most of his .300 average has come from him hitting .396 in pinch-hit situations. Thankfully with Feliz back, Dobbs will be regulated back to that role.

To be honest, if the Phillies make the playoffs, they're probably not going to win anything. There are too many flaws and holes with this team that do not exist with Chicago and Milwaukee. This weekend will be a true test. The good news however is that if we do make the playoffs, we are guaranteed home-field.

Continuing reading...

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.

Continuing reading...

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.

Continuing reading...

Blanton, Homers, beat Cardinals; Wagner Blows Again

Joe Blanton pitched very well to earn his first win as a Phillie. The Phillies won 2-1 as Blanton out dueled Braden Looper. He was supported by solo home runs from Greg Dobbs and Ryan Howard (31). Brad Lidge came in the 9th to earn his 27th save in as many chances.

The Mets had a 4-0 lead on Houston last night but saw the lead diminish to 4-2 going into the 9th. Ex-Phillie and current loud-mouth Billy Wagner loaded the bases and surrendered a 2 run single to Geoff Blum, blowing his 7th save of the year. He got out of the inning. In the tenth, Pedro Feliciano gave up a sacrifice fly to Daren Erstad and the Astros came from behind to win 5-4.

With those 2 games, the Phillies now hold a 1.5 game lead on the Marlins and a 2 game lead on New York. Pitching today is Brett Myers ((4-9, 5.46) for the Phillies and Todd Wellemeyer (8-4, 4.13) for St. Louis. Myers will look to follow up his 8 inning performance with another steller start tonight at 8 PM EST.

Continuing reading...

Oh, Phillies

Winning the first game of a series isn't as cool when you lose the rest of the games. You better win tomorrow. I really wish you weren't 15-21 since you swept Atlanta on June 8th. I really wish you had winning records against teams not from Atlanta in the NL East. Please, please be the team to beat.

I really wish pitchers like Brett Myers and Joe Blanton were not throwing back to back in our rotation. Two pitchers with no control going right after one another to destroy our bullpen. That's not cool. That wasn't a smart move Phillies. Not at all. I didn't write about your 'epic' come from behind victory last night because I wanted to see what would happen tonight first. I wanted to feel compelled to write and I wanted to be excited. Instead, I got the same feeling I got last night for 8 innings and it continued after the game ended this team.

Dear offense, have fucking patience. Make shitty pitchers like John Maine pitch to you. Please, take note of this for tomorrow. Please, tell me there is a coach somewhere in the organization preaching this.

Everyone saw the game, no sense for a recap. No one misses Mets/Phillies games and if you did, you're a prick. If thats you, put your Phillies hat back into the closet or just burn it.

Continuing reading...

Phillies Win Despite Santana's Dominant Performance

It was a wet and wild game at Citizens Bank Park. No offense and a lot of pitching. On a night where we, as a nation, honor the birth of our great country, the nation's first capitol overcame Johan Santana to win 3-2.

Shane Victorino provided the heroics with his RBI single in the 9th, driving in Pedro Feliz with 2 outs. Pitcher Duaner Sanchez struck out both Ryan Howard and Pat Burrell in the bottom of the 9th before Feliz doubled. Victorino hit a line drive to right to score in Feliz to win the game.

It was a very patriotic evening at CBP, with the 23rd sell out crowd of the year. Before the game, a small tribute was payed to the men of service, current and veterans. God Bless America was also sung during the 7th inning stretch.


I almost feel bad for Santana. He went 8 innings, giving up 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out 6. His only hiccup came in the 6th where he allowed 4 singles that scored both Jayson Werth and Chase Utley. They were driven in by Howard and Burrell respectively.

J.A. Happ took the mound for Philly and was sub par. He threw 90+ pitches in only 4.2 innings of work. He was taken out with the bases loaded and after 2 runs came in. Chad Durbin relieved him and struck out Carlos Beltran to stop the bleeding. Happ finished with 2 runs allowed on 3 hits, 4 walks, and 3 strike outs.

Durbin's time of relief was amazing. He saw 7 batters and struck out 6 in his 2.1 innings pitched. Ryan Madson pitched the 8th giving up a hit and Brad Lidge threw 4 pitches to earn the win in the 9th.

Jayson Werth was the lead off hitter for the Phillies and had 2 hits. Howard also had 2 hits and Feliz had the only extra base hit for Philadelphia.

Continuing reading...

Happ to Make 2008 Debut

The Last time J.A. Happ took the hill, it was against the Mets in 2007. He gave up seven hits, including three homers, and five runs in four innings as the Phils lost, 8-3, at Citizens Bank Park.He's hoping his 2008 outing versus them will be a different story rom last year.

There shouldn't be any pressure for Happ this year. He's only facing the best lefty in the game in Johan Santana, a division rival looking to challenge the Phillies, and a Mets team that handled him last year. Nope. No pressure at all.

Happ has started 17 games for Triple-A Lehigh Valley where he compiled a 5-6 record with a 3.54 ERA. In 101 2/3 innings, Happ has 104 strikeouts to lead the International League.

RJ Swindle is said to be optioned back to Lehigh after replacing Brett Myers on the roster for a couple days.

Continuing reading...

Phillies Earn 2nd Straight Sweep in Atlanta

As Justin would say: "Cole Hamels will win a Cy Young this year and 10 Cole Hamels in his career."

Hamels (9-5) was filthy in his outing versus Atlanta, pitching 8.2 innings, giving up 1 run in the 9th, a double by Brian McCann that scored Chipper Jones. He allowed 5 hits total and 1 walk, a .81 WHIP. He also struck out 7. King Cole's ERA improved to 3.22. Tom Gordon pitched the last out, earning his 2nd save.

Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, and Pedro Feliz all had solo home runs. Utley leads the league with 24 and Howard has 22 on the season. Those were the only hits for Utley and Howard. Pat Burrell went 2-4 with a double. Feliz went 3-4 with a homer and 2 RBIs, driving in Burrell and himself. Jimmy Rollins had a triple in the 3rd.

The offense got an early run in the first with Utley's solo shot. In the fourth, Feliz singled to drive in Burrell. In the 6th, Howard homered and in the 7th, Feliz had his shot.

The Phillies (47-39) have won 3 straight since their dry spell in June. They start a 4 game series tomorrow night versus the Mets (41-43). They face 4 pitchers capable of shutting down this offense. Being back in the comfort of their own park should settle the offense back in. No Hamels in the series could be huge. Probables for the series are:

7/4: J. Santana (7-7, 3.01), J. Happ (0-0, -.--)
7/5: J. Maine (8-6, 3.86), J. Moyer (7-6, 4.13)
7/6: O. Perez (6-5, 4.98), K. Kendrick (8-3, 4.58)
7/7: P. Martinez (2-2, 7.39), A. Eaton (3-6, 4.79)

Continuing reading...

Mets Fire Randolph

I cannot say that I do not enjoy this. The Mets turmoil of a season grew larger after they fired Willie Randolph in the middle of the night. Minaya also fired pitching coach Rick Peterson and first base coach Tom Nieto. It's pretty hilarious that the man who built the team of egos, Omar Minaya, gets to keep his job.

Minaya has depended largely on aging vets and has depleted their farm system. When Fernando Tatis is one of your call ups, you know there's nothing left. Now, Randolph has never truly been a great manager, but it's hard to put the blame solely on him. It is also believed that pitching coach Rick Peterson did wonders for John Maine and Oliver Perez, but he didn't make the cut either.

I love watching this unfold. Nothing like a good laugh to start the day.

Willie Randolph will be replaced by bench coach Jerry Manuel. Ken Oberkfell and Dan Warthen (pitching coach) will come up from Triple-A New Orleans to join the staff.

Continuing reading...

NY Mets = 2007 N.L East Champs

Wait, that's not correct; however, if you take a trip Queens and you're handed a tourism brochure, it says so.

Shea Stadium, built in 1962, is home to the 2007 National League East Division Champion New York Mets professional baseball club," the brochure wrongly proclaims.

Actually, groundbreaking on the Flushing ballpark began in October 1961 and it didn't open until April 1964, but those gaffes pale compared with ignoring that the Mets blew a seven-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies with 17 games to play last fall.

The Mets themselves were surprised to see this mistake printed in 45,000 brochures. They never saw or approved the 2007 brochure. The borough spent $9,300 on the brochures and have claimed that any future printings will carry the correct information.

Queens Borough president, Helen Marshall, said that they feel the error was related to wishful thinking.

[Daily News]

Continuing reading...

Oh Hill-Billy!

Who's outbursts are more comical? Billy Wagner or Terrell Owens? Nothing like a clubhouse "train-wreck" for our hated rivals. Also, what's the deal with Patriots hat?

Continuing reading...

Mets Finalize Deal With Santana

All the BS is over with as the Mets and LHP Johan Santana came to an agreement 7 o'clock today. The Twins sent Santana to New York for 4 minor league prospects and all New York needed to do to finalize the trade was to come to a contract agreement with Santana. The numbers of the contract were not released yet.

More will be reported on Monday by Justin.

Continuing reading...

Mets Land Santana

Great. The New York Mets have just acquired Johan Santana for outfielder Carlos Gomez, Phil Humber, Deolis Guerra, and Kevin Mulvey. The deal is pending on a contract extensions and physicals. I'll post more when the deal becomes official.

Continuing reading...