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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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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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The News Room: 12/4/08

- According to the Boston Globe, the Phillies have made an offer to Derek Lowe.

Personally, I'd love to have Derek Lowe, but I am sure the Phillies are just putting an offer in hoping they can go in a little cheaper and live off their recent success to grab Lowe's attention. He has received one or the offer and it is said to not be from the Yankees or Red Sox. Amaro, Jr. has not denied the deal and he is reluctant to go past 3 years on a pitcher. Watch out though, he is a Boras Client.

- Elton Brand will miss the Sixers match-up with the Pistons tomorrow due to a strained hamstring. He is listed as day-to-day. [CSN Philly]

The Sixers cannot win with their full lineup, so it is hard to see them win without Brand.

- Utley is progressing well and he is on track for a mid-April return. [Delaware Online]

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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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World Fucking Champions T-Shirts

Phillies Nation has created some "World Ph*cking Champions" t-shirts. That shirt specifically is $24.99. There are a few different styles and options.

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World Fucking Champions

I love you Chase. I will have full video of the prade passing me right on Broad between Sansom and Walnut.

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1 down, 10 to go!

The weather was nice, but got miserable fast. Cole Hamels' dominance, however, was consistent all game. King Cole struck out 9 and allowed on two hits in 8 shut-out innings of work.

The offense took advantage of some defensive mistakes by the Brewers in the third to score all of their runs. After Carlos Ruiz lined a single to center, Hamels laid down a bunt and reached first base on an error by second baseman Rickie Weeks. The rest of the inning, well that can be seen in the videos after the jump! These were all my videos shot behind section 116. Sorry, I'm not tall so the video gets a little shaky at times as I had to hold it over my head (I was stuck behind MLB.com's camera lady).

Phillies Team Announced


First Strike-out for Cole Hamels


Utley 2-run double


Victorino RBI Walk


Lidge Closes it Out

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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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Boo, Fuck You T-Shirts

The guys over at Phillies Nation have created "Boo? F*ck you" t-shirts with Utley's number on the back. You can check them out here.

They have a created a nice selection for men and women. Stick it to those New York assholes.

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All-Star Festivities

Boo? Fuck you. The often quiet Chase Utley was mic'd up during the home run derby and well, the often quiet Chase Utley let an f-bomb slip as he was joing around with Dan Uggla.

Chase Utley's 5 home runs did not get him into the second round, but he did hit two gold balls. Josh Hamilton stole the show with his 28 home runs in the first round and just about every one of them were fucking moon shots. The new steroids? Hardcore drugs, finding Jesus, destroy home run Derby records. It has been such an amazing story for Josh Hamilton and I wish him the best for the rest of his career. It is nice to see people turn their lives around and it is nice to know that baseball, besides Jesus, is the one thing that keeps him going. However, Josh...how can you let a Canuck win the home run derby? Booo!

And then we had the epic all-star game that almost put us into the same boat in the past that caused Bud Selig to make the game worth something. Last night's game went into the Bottom of the 15th and Brad Lidge recorded the loss after he had warmed up not one, not two, but SIX different times in over a two hour span. Hill Billy Wagner blew the game in the 8th. Chase Utley hit a single in the 6th after two weak at-bats early in the game. JD Douche (sorry used to it even though it was the Phillies front-office's fault, but I'd rather have Burrell anyway) was named the game's MVP as he went 2-4 with a 2-run home run.

Soriano picking his nose.

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Baseball Says Goodbye to Yankee Stadium.

It's the Midsummer Classic. The middle of July. Yes, All Star Weekend is here. This years game will be played in the House That Ruth Built. This is the final year the New York Yankees will play their games in the historic Yankee Stadium. A much better choice than Shea Stadium, also meeting its maker. That place smells like piss and looks like shit.

And what better way to bid the stadium that hosted 26 World Series Champions than saying goodbye in style. Sure the Yankees would love to win one more title there but the way their season looks, They might not even make it to October.

The jerseys worn during batting practise for both squads will don the Yankees colors. The away team, the National League, will wear grey jerseys resembling the Yankees away uniforms. The American League will wear a solid navy blue. It would have been more fitting that they wore pinstripes.


This is still a funny picture to me. Red Sox must be puking seeing their beloved Big Papi rocking the navy and grey. He isn't alone as Manny Ramirez, who was once rumored to go to New York a while back, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek, and JD Drew (what the fuck?) will be wearing them. They must be thrilled it isn't pinstriped.


That is a sight that Phillie fans pray they never ever see either.

Chase Utley will be joined by Brad Lidge and hopefully Pat Burrell, who has 2 shots to make it. First, if he doesn't make it as the 32nd man in a fan voting process (VOTE NOW YOU IDIOTS!), he may get in because starter Alfonso Soriano is injured.

Bon Jovi will be performing for the All Star game as well. He is probably the one rock star that we all will never admit liking. He's like Michael Jackson, minus the fucked up head.

All Star schedule according to MLB.com:
July 11-15
• DHL All-Star FanFest

July 13
• Taco Bell All-Star Sunday featuring:
• XM All-Star Futures Game
• Taco Bell All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game

July 14
• Gatorade All-Star Workout Day featuring:
• MLB All-Star Batting Practice
• State Farm Home Run Derby

July 15
• MLB All-Star Game Red Carpet Show presented by Chevrolet
• 79th MLB All-Star Game

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Lidge and Utley make the All-Star team

Phillies' second baseman, Chase Utley, and closer, Brad Lidge, will represent the club at next week's all-star game in Yankees Stadium. [Phillies] Also, go vote for Pat Burrell as he will be up against David Wright in the NL's final vote (another popularity contest) as it is left up to the fans.

Chase Utley was the NL's leading vote getter as he received 3,889,602 votes to be the team's starter at second base. Chase Utley currently leads the majors with 24 home runs and he is currently hitting .295, while knocking in 67 runs and scoring 65. Brad Lidge has been absolutely phenomenal for the Phillies has he has converted all of his save opportunties. He also has 47 strike outs in 35 innings and a 0.77 ERA. Pat Burrell may be the most deserving outfielder as he leads all outfielders in slugging and OPS, while he's only second in OBP.

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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.

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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)

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Phillies Win a Series!!!

In what may seem comparable to the shot heard around the world in Philly, the Fightin' Phillies have finally won a series after losing six in a row. Tonight, the Phillies beat the Braves 7-3 after a bottom of the ninth inning scare aided by not one, but two Ryan Howard errors. The Phillies improved to 5-0 in Atlanta and 7-1 in the season series.

Tonight's offense came from an impressive home run by "Big Brown" as he hit a 68 mph breaking ball deep out of the park into left center for a 3-run home run. Pat Burrell also added a solo home run. Pedro Feliz, Chris Coste, and Chase Utley each had two hits, while Jimmy Rollins went 3-4 with a triple. Shane Victorino was the only starter (including Eaton) not to reach base with a hit.

Eaton pitched well enough to earn the win, but he did struggle a little in the 6th inning. In 5 innings of work, he gave up 2 earned on 5 hits and 5 walks. He did get squeezed on a few pitches, but overall he pitched well and helped the Phils maintain their lead. Eaton improves to 3-6 on the year.

Up north in Allentown, PA, Brett Myers threw 5 innings of work for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. He threw 100 pitches with a 60/40 strike-to-ball ratio. He was cruising through the first four innings, but he allowed 3 earned runs on 3 hits in the 5th inning. He finished the game with 6 strike outs. He will make another start likely next Monday.
And here is the rest of it.

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Adam Eaton Pitches Phils to a Victory

Dear Adam Eaton,

You deserved every bit of that standing ovation tonight. You have pitched very well lately. Thank you for "finding yourself" or whatever you want to call it.

-Justin

Anyway, Adam Eaton pitched great for 6.2 innings allowing 3 hits, 1 earned run, and struck out 5. For the second start in a row, Eaton went deep into a game and maintained a very good K:BB ratio. He has also earned wins in his last two outings to improve his record to 2-3.

Offensively, two streaks ended tonight. Shane Victorino failed to get a hit and Chase Utley failed to hit a home-run. However, Utley did go 2-3 with an RBI single and an intentional walk. Utley's single tied the game at one apiece. In the 6th inning, Pat Burrell broke the tie for good after hitting a 2-run home run off Aaron Harang. It was his 14th of the year. Jimmy Rollins went back over .300 by going 3-for-4 and scoring a run. Greg Dobbs also notched himself another pinch-hit on the year.

J.C. Romero, Tom Gordon, and Brad Lidge completed the game for the Phils, allowing 1 run (Gordon) on a sac fly. All three of them looked a little shaky with rust, but they sealed the win. Brad Lidge notched his 15th save of the year. The fans showed up again to sell out another game.

If the game happens tomorrow, Brett Myers will face off against the National League's best pitcher currently, Edinson Volquez. He struck out 8 Phillies in his last outing. We might see a double header on Thursday because the Phillies have an off-day Monday and it would not mess with their rotation. Hopefully Hamels still pitches the day game because I will be in attendance.

Burrel's Home Run

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Chase Utley...Still the Man

Picture taken from CSN.com
What doesn't Chase Utley do? Oh yeah, he never gives less than 100%. Tonight, Chase Utley started the scoring with a 2-run line drive home run (he's hit a home run in 5 straight games) and then he ended the game by making his second spectacular diving catch of the game. The Phillies used to long ball to score all of their runs tonight as Pedro Feliz hit it a 2-run home run and Chris Coste followed him up with a solo home run.

Kyle Kendrick pitched well enough to earn his 5th win on the season, but he was chased in the 6th after allowing 2 base-runners who hit him hard. Kendrick gave up 4 earned on only 5 hits, but he did give up solo home runs to rookie phenom, Jay Bruce, and Edwin Encarnarcion. Chad Durbin allowed a double to Adam Dunn to complete Kendrick's line. Chad Durbin pitched well in the 7th, followed by Gordon and Lidge pitching perfect 8th and 9th innings.

Phillies fans, I hope you realize that you may be watching one of the greatest second baseman to ever play the game. We're at least talking about one of the greatest second baseman that the Phillies have ever seen. Utley became the first second baseman ever to hit 20 home runs in less than 60 games. Ever. Let's thank Chase for not signing with the Dodgers when they drafted him in 1997. In Utley's last 8 games, he is batting .419 with 7 home runs and 19 rbis. He's also scored 11 runs during that span. He's also homered in 7 of his last 8 games.

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Face-Off for First Place

During the next 3 days, the two best second-baseman in baseball will face off against each other. Both Dan Uggla and Chase Utley are coming into this weekend with amazing numbers for any players, let alone middle infielders. Both players will help their respected team maintain or take over first place in the division.

Thus far, Chase Utley has received the most votes among in National League player with 537,788 votes. He leads all second baseman by over 350,000 votes, including Dan Uggla, who has 125,745.

Chase Utley comes into the game hitting .310 avg/.394 obp/.638 slugging, with an OPS of 1.032. Utley also had 42 R, 16 2B, 1 3B, 17 HR, 46 RBI, and 5 steals. Also, Utley has only struck out 33 times thus far, which is below his career average. Chase Utley is constantly mentioned in MVP talks because of his demeanor and his defensive ability. He's one of the best all-around players in baseball.

Dan Uggla is also have an exceptional year. Uggla comes into the series hitting .307 avg/.386 obp/.667 slg and an OPS of 1.053. Uggla has scored 41 times while adding 19 doubles, 1 triple, 16 HR, and 38 RBI. He has struck out 58 times and stolen 2 bases.

The upcoming series will be filled with left-handed pitching, 2 starters for each team. Tonight, 6'9" Mark Hendrickson will face off against Brett Myers. The Phillies have lost the last 6 games Myers has started and he has not recorded a win since April 17th. Myers allows a whopping 1.64 baserunner an inning and that is intolerable for any pitcher, let alone for someone considered "1A" or "1B". Last year, the Phillies offense pounded Hendrickson for 7 runs in 5 innings when he pitched for the Dodgers. Hendrickson is a sinker ball pitcher and combined with his height, you'd expect to see him leave the ball up in the zone at times. The Phillies have hitters that will destroy those mistakes.

On Saturday, Cole Hamels will battle against Ricky Nolasco. Hamels is coming off his worst start of the year after throwing back-to-back scoreless games. He's also come off his first game where he failed to manage at least one strike-out since his rookie year. Ricky Nolasco is over .500, but allows a decent amount of base runners and teams hit .273 off him. I will be in attendance.

Two lefties will face off during Sunday's matinee as Moyer takes on rookie Andrew Miller. If you look at the current Marlins rotation, you will question how the team is in first place. They allow a number of base runners (see Miller's 1.68 WHIP), but they survive by their offense. Miller has an ERA well over 5 and he is a left-handed pitcher that Phillies should be able to take care of. Jamie Moyer has earned a win in his last 3 starts, so let's hope that he continues his winning streak.

Things line-up well for the Phillies though because the Marlins only hit .224 off left-handed pitching with an OPS of .684. To compare, they hit .272 off righties with an OPS of .811.

The Phillies hit .257 off left-handed pitching with an OPS of .835. One problem though is that Jayson Werth will still not be in the line-up and he absolutely kills lefties.

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