Results tagged ‘ Injury ’
As Adam Wainwright goes down…
The St. Louis Cardinals have suffered a major blow as they lose their ace, Adam Wainwright, as he will likely face Tommy John Surgery to replace the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. This, of course, means that the redbirds will be looking for someone to take Wainwright’s spot in their rotation.
Because of this, Joe Blanton’s name have been linked in talks about the possibilities of a trade between the two teams. Thing is, Ruben Amaro Jr. have said that the Phils plan to keep Blanton and intend to use him as their fifth starter. And, even if they were to trade him, the Phils would most likely be looking for, in return, a right handed bat who is major league ready, or just about, who the Cardinals will be willing to give up. I’m not sure if the Cards will do that at this point, if it happens at all.
Me, I think Blanton is going to be here for opening day and beyond.
The Phils signed Jason Grilli to a Minor League Contract.
Yesterday, the Phils signed veteran right-hander Jason Grilli to a Minor League Contract.
Grilli, in eight major league seasons, had an 18-18 record with a 4.74 ERA in 223 appearances. He has last thrown a pitch in the Majors in 2009, when he pitched for the Colorado Rockies and the Texas Rangers, with a combine record of 2-3 with an ERA of 5.32 in 52 appearances. Grilli did not pitch last year because of a knee injury.
Grilli will appear in the Phils’ minor league camp in Clearwater, and will likely start the season pitching for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.
The most recent Phillies news…
Last week the Phils’ picked up, via waivers, infielder Carlos Rivero from the Cleveland Indians.
The team is still looking for low price free agents for their bullpen, while pondering whether to give new contracts to either Chad Durbin or Jose Contreras, or to both pitchers. In the meantime, they are in the hunt to resign Jayson Werth, but since his agent Scott Boras is asking for money in the Matt Holliday/Jason Bay range, it is more than likely that he won’t be back in red pinstripes.
It has been announced on Monday that ex-Phil Jamie Moyer has re-injured his left elbow while pitching winter ball in the Dominican Republic, while trying to prove that he can still pitch. Ouch. Talk about a setback. Hope it wasn’t too bad an injury, Jamie.
It was also announced yesterday that former Phil GM Pat Gillick is on the Hall of Fame ballot that is being sent to the committee to elect those managers, executives and retired players who were not elected originally, who come from Baseball’s Expansion-era (post-1960). Congrats on getting on the Ballot, Pat, and wish you luck getting into the Hall. You deserve it.
Lastly, today, there is speculation that former Phil, ex-Orioles manager and fan favorite, Juan Samuel, is thinking of taking over Davey Lopes’ position as the team’s first base coach. If he does, that should be good news for the team, since he was a very successful base stealer during his days as a ballplayer. Is has also been announced that they are looking at Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg as the new manager for their Triple-A Lehigh Valley ballclub, as he is leaving the Cubs Triple-A club after being pass over as the main club’s new manager. He might be another popular move, if the Phils do go after him. Whether the pair will actually get either post is another question.
Not much is going on among the Phils. But…
Last Friday, the Phils announced that the operation on Placido Polanco’s left elbow, to remove bone spurs and to repair the lateral extensor tendon, was a success and that they expect him to recover in six to eight weeks, in time for him to prepare for spring training.
The Phils are still waiting to hear back from Jayson Werth and his agent, Scott Boras, on what Werth is looking for, contract wise.
Speaking of contracts, the Phils announced on Tuesday that first base coach Davey Lopes is leaving. Lopes says that he’s leaving because the team isn’t offering him what he thinks he is worth, based on what he does for the ballclub, besides his first base duties, as he is the main reason that the team have had a highly successful stolen base percentage. In fact, they have lead the league during the four years that he was with the team. His input will be missed. Good luck wherever you land, Davy.
The Phils, this off-season, will be looking to add some new blood to the bullpen, as well as looking for a strong right handed bat to replace Werth, if they are unable to resign him. They will also be, according to Ruben Amaro, Jr., be looking to improve the way the offense operates. (I hope they do, as that was a major handicap this past season.)
Things have been a bit busy here in Philly…
Although the Phils have been knocked out of the playoffs last Saturday, things have been busy during the last week or so since the 2010 National League Champions San Francisco Giants celebrated their victory at Citizens Bank Park. Saturday night, Sunday and Monday the Phils cleared out their lockers before heading off to their respective homes.
On Monday, General Manager Reuben Amaro, Jr. held a press conference announcing that while he was happy that 2010 was a successful year, the fact that they had failed to get into the World Series, as everyone was expecting, have left a bitter taste in his mouth, and he was planning to make some changes as far as the offense was concerned.
During the week, the Phils bought out J.C. Romero’s contract, paying him $2500,000 for the last year of his contract, while letting go both Greg Dobbs and Jamie Moyer, allowing the three to become free agents, although willing to take Romero back if nobody else comes knocking at his doorstep, with a minor league contract. (Sorry to see you go, guys. Wish you luck.) Paul Hoover have also opted for free agency after being assigned to Lehigh Valley.
The Phils have finally contacted Jayson Werth, via his agent Scott Boras, to see if there was any way that they can keep him here. (I’m not holding my breath. Boras equals large amount of money, and I do not think that the Phils are in that particular neighborhood.)
Placido Polanco will be having surgery to fix up his left elbow at some point today, and should be ready for spring training next year.
Roy Halladay, who plans to give his hurt groin a rest, for now, have been named the National League Clutch Performer of the Year and the Players Choice for NL Outstanding Pitcher.
The bats came out to play as the Phils pounded the Marlins, 10-6, to remain a half-game ahead of the Braves.
The Phils scored early and often as the bats produced ten runs behind Cole Hamels’ shut out pitching as the Phils defeated the Marlins, 10-6. Their lead in the East remains at half a game as the Braves avoided a sweep at the hands of the Pirates.
The Phils took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with one man out, Ryan Howard hits a two-run single, knocking in Shane Victorino, who had earlier doubled, and then stole third as the lead man in a double steal, and Chase Utley, who had just walked, and stole second as the back end of the double steal, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead, before going on to second base on the late throw to the plate. The Phils made it a 3-0 lead in the second as, with the bases loaded, via a double by Raul Ibanez, a walk to Carlos Ruiz, and then a throwing error by Wes Helm as he tried to throw out Phils’ starter Cole Hamels on a sacrifice bunt attempt, as both Ibanez and Ruiz moved up a base, and with nobody out, Victorino hits into an RBI ground out, 5-3, scoring Ibanez, while both Ruiz and Hamels would move up a base. The Phils added to their lead in the third as, with two men on, and with two men out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, scoring Jimmy Rollins, who had earlier doubled, making it a 4-0 Phils’ lead, while sending Ibanez, who had just walked, up to second base. The Phils busted the game wide open in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Howard hits a three-run bomb to left, his twenty-eighth home run of the year, scoring Placido Polanco and Chase Utley, who had both singled, with Polanco stopping at second base on Utley’s single, giving the Phils a 7-0 lead. The Phils then made it 9-0 in the fifth as, with the bases once again loaded, via a single to Hamels, a double to Victorino, his second in the game, with Hamels stopping at third, and a walk to Polanco, and with nobody out, Utley hits a two-run single, scoring Hamels and Victorino, while sending Polanco up to second base. They added to their lead in the seventh as, with two men on, and with one man out, Howard hits an RBI single, for his sixth RBI of the game, knocking in Victorino, who had earlier singled, and then went to second when Utley was hit by the pitch, making it a 10-0 Phils’ lead, while sending Utley, who had just been hit by the pitch, to second base. Meanwhile, Cole Hamels had pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up only four hits and a walk to the fish, while striking out five. The Phils’ bullpen then came unglued in the eighth, as Nate Robertson took the mound in relief of Hamels. After striking out the lead-off batter, Mike Rivera, swinging, Robertson then gives up a single to Emilio Bonifacio, who then went to second on a Robertson wild pitch. Logan Morrison then followed with a walk, putting two men on base. The next batter, Gaby Sanchez, then puts the Marlins’ on the scoreboard as he hits a three-run home run, his seventeenth home run of the year, knocking in both Bonifacio and Morrison, making it a 10-3 Phils’ lead. Dan Uggla then walks. Mike Stanton then follows by striking out, swinging, for the inning’s second out. The next batter, Wes Helms, then gets on base with an infield single, as he beats Utley’s throw to first, while Uggla would move up to second base. The Marlins then cut down the Phils’ lead to 10-5 as Cameron Maybin hits a two-run double, scoring both Uggla and Helms, with Helms scoring as Paul Hoover is unable to hold onto Ibanez’s throw to the plate, for an error, as he allows Maybin to reach third on the throw. The Phils then made a pitching change, replacing Robertson with David Herndon, who is then greeted by pinch hitter Scott Cousins, who hits an RBI double, scoring Maybin, to make it a 10-6 Phils’ lead. Herndon then finally ended the inning by getting Rivera, who had started the inning as the Marlins had batted around, to ground out, 4-3. That would be the final score, as Ryan Madson would end the game by striking out Uggla, swinging.
Cole Hamels gets the win as he pitches seven scoreless innings, giving up just four hits and a walk, while striking out five. His record is now 10-10 with a reduced ERA of 3.06. Nate Robertson pitches two-thirds of an inning, as he gives up six runs on four hits and two walks, while he strikes out two. David Herndon pitches two thirds of an inning, giving up a hit and a walk. Ryan Madson also pitches two-thirds of an inning, getting out both men that he would face, one by strike out. Andrew Miller took the lost as he pitches four innings, giving up seven runs on eleven hits and three walks, while he strikes out five. His record is now 1-1 with a 6.16 ERA. Chris Leroux pitches an inning, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, while striking out a batter. Jose Ceda pitches an inning and a third, giving up a run on two hits. Jay Buente and Burke Badenhop combine for a scoreless one and two-thirds innings, giving up two hits (one hit each), while striking out four (two batters each).
The Phils pounded out eighteen hits in the game, with every regular getting at least one hit. Shane Victorino and Ryan Howard both lead the team with three hits each, with Victorino’s hits being two doubles and a single, as he knocked in a run, while Howard’s hits were two singles and a three-run bomb, knocking in six runs. Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins (before he was taken out of the game because of tightness in his right quad) and Raul Ibanez next follow with two hits each, with Utley’s hits being both singles, knocking in two runs, Rollins hits being a single and a double and Ibanez’s hits being also a single and a double. Placido Polanco, Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz, Cole Hamels, Wilson Valdez and Ross Gload had the other six Phils’ hits, with Polanco, Werth, Ruiz, Hamels and Valdez’s hits being singles, with Ruiz knocking in a run, and Gload’s hit being a double. In the game, the Phils had six extra-base hits (2B (5), HR (1)). The bats came out to pound the fish in support of Hamels, giving him plenty of runs support.
The Phils (81-60 1st) have the day off today, before they begin a three-game series with the Mets this weekend (69-71, 4th). The Phils will be hoping that they will be in New York with a full game lead in the East, as the Braves tonight start a four-games series with the Cardinals in Atlanta.
The Phils split a doubleheader with the Marlins, losing game one 7-1 before winning the night cap, 7-4, as they cut the Braves’ lead in the East to a half game.
The Phils split a doubleheader with the Marlins, losing the afternoon game, 7-1, before roaring back to win the second game, 7-4, as they cut the Braves’ lead in the NL East to a half game.
In the afternoon game, the Marlins took the lead in the first as, with a runner on second, and with two men out, Dan Uggla hits an RBI single, knocking in Logan Morrison, who had earlier walked, and then went to second on Vance Worley’s wild pitch, giving the Marlins a 1-0 lead, while Uggla would reach third on Brian Schneider’s throwing error, when he tried to throw Uggla out at second when he tried to advance on Raul Ibanez’s throw to the plate. The Marlins made it a 2-0 lead in the second as Chad Tracy hits a lead-off home run, his first home run of the season. The Marlins would then break the game open in the eighth as, with one man on, and with two men out, Mike Stanton hits a two-run home run, his sixteenth home run of the year, knocking in Uggla, who had earlier doubled, making it a 4-0 lead. The Marlins would increase their lead in the ninth as, with the bases loaded, via a walk to Wes Helm, a single by Emilio Bonifacio, with Helm stopping at second base, and Hanley Ramirez being hit by the pitch, with both runners moving up a base, and with one man out, Uggla hits a two-run double, scoring both Helm and Bonifacio, giving the Marlins a 6-0 lead, while Ramirez would stop at third. Three batters later, after pinch hitter Cameron Maybin is hit by the pitch, and is then pinch run for by Scott Cousins, and now with two men out, Stanton hits an RBI infield single, scoring Ramirez, making it a 7-0 Marlins’ lead, while moving Uggla to third and Cousins to second. The Phils would finally get on the scoreboard in the ninth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Jayson Werth hits an RBI single, scoring Ryan Howard, who had just doubled, making it 7-1 Marlins’ lead. That would be the final score, though, as Rollins grounds out to end the game, 1-3.
Vance Worley gets the lost as he pitches five innings, giving up two runs on six hits, a walk and a wild pitch, while striking out five. His record is now 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA. David Herndon and Antonio Bastardo pitches one and two-thirds innings of shut out ball, giving up two hits (Herndon) between them. Chad Durbin pitches an inning and a third, giving up two runs on two hits, while striking out three. Mike Zagurski pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up three runs on two hits, a walk and two hit batters, while striking out one. Nate Robertson pitches a third of an inning, giving up a hit. Adalberto Mendez gets the win as he pitches six innings, before leaving the game with an injury in the seventh, giving up just one hit and two walks, while striking out six. His record is now 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA. Will Ohman records his seventeenth hold of the year as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out a batter. Jose Veras also records a 1-2-3 inning, striking out two. Jose Ceda pitches to three batters, giving up a run on two hits and a walk. Clay Hensley pitches a 1-2-3 inning.
The Phils had only three hits in the game, a single by Brian Schneider, a double by Ryan Howard and an RBI single by Jayson Werth. The Phils’ bats were unable to do anything otherwise.
In the nightcap, the Marlins took a 1-0 lead in the second as, with two men out, Stanton hits a solo home run, his seventeenth home run of the year. The Phils’ offense then struck back in their half of the second as, with the bases loaded, via singles by Rollins and Ibanez and a walk by Dom Brown, moving both Rollins and Ibanez up a base, and with nobody out, the Phils would tie the score at one-all as Carlos Ruiz walk, forcing in Rollins, while moving Ibanez to third base and Brown to second. Two batters later, the Phils took a 2-1 lead as Shane Victorino hits an RBI single, knocking in Ibanez, before Brown, who was trying to score, is gunned down by Stanton, 9-2, for the inning’s second out, while Ruiz, who had reached second on Victorino’s hit, would go to third on the throw to the plate. After Victorino steals second base to put runners on second and third, and with two men out, Placido Polanco hits a ground-rule double, thanks to a fan touching the ball as it went towards the third base seats, scoring both Ruiz and Victorino, to give the Phils a 4-2 lead. The Phils then took a 5-1 lead as Chase Utley hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, before moving up to second on the throw to the plate. The Marlins got two runs back in the third as, with a runner on base, and with two men out, Ramirez hits a two-run home run, his twenty-first home run of the year, knocking in Morrison, who had just walked, making it a 5-3 Phils’ lead. The Marlins then cut the lead to 5-4 in the fifth as, with two men out, Maybin hits a solo home run, his eighth home run of the year. The Phils would get the run back in their half of the fifth as, with a runner on third, and with nobody out, Utley hits an RBI single, scoring Polanco, who had earlier tripled, making it a 6-4 Phils’ lead. Three batters later, with two men on, and with one man out, Ibanez hits an RBI double, scoring Utley, who had moved up to second base on an Anibal Sanchez wild pitch, giving the Phils a 7-4 lead, while sending Howard, who had earlier walked, on to third base. That would be the final score as the Phils would keep the Marlins’ bats quiet for the final four innings, with Brad Lidge collecting his twenty-first save as he strikes out Cousins swinging for the final out.
Roy Oswalt gets the win as he pitches seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk, while striking out seven. His record is now 11-13 (5-1) with a 3.09 (2.30) ERA. J.C. Romero pitches to one batter, walking him. Ryan Madson collects his eleventh hold of the year as he pitches a scoreless inning, striking out a batter. Brad Lidge collects his twenty-first save of the season as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out two. Anibal Sanchez took the lost as he pitches only four innings plus three batters, giving up seven runs on seven hits and three walks, while he strikes out two. His record is now 11-9 with a 3.45 ERA. Jorge Sosa and Jay Buente combine for four scoreless innings, giving up three hits (Sosa (2), Buente (1)) and walking two (one each), while striking out three (Sosa (2), Buente (1)) between them.
The Phils had ten hits in the game, with Shane Victorino leading the team with three hits, all singles, as he knocks in a run. He is followed by Placido Polanco, Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez who all had two hits each, with Polanco’s hits being a double and a triple, knocking in two runs, Utley’s hits being two singles, knocking in two runs and Ibanez’s hits being a single and a double, knocking in a run. Jimmy Rollins had the other Phil hit, a single. Carlos Ruiz had the other Phil RBI, on a bases loaded walk. The Phils’ offense came out to score some runs for Oswalt.
The Phils (79-60, 2nd) will continue their four-game series with the Marlins (70-67, 3rd) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and it will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (6-6, 5.25), who is coming off a no-decision against the Rockies on September 1, as he pitched just four and a third innings, giving up six runs, four of which were earned, on ten hits and two walks, while striking out three, in the Phils’ 12-11 win. In his last three starts, his record is 1-0 with two no-decisions, as he pitched seventeen and a third innings, giving up eight runs, six of which were earned, on twenty-two hits and three walks, while striking out fifteen. He will be trying to get his seventh win of the year, while also putting his win-loss record on the positive side for the first time this season. The Marlins will counter with Chris Volstad (9-9, 4.82), who is coming off a win against the Nationals on September 1, as he pitched five innings, giving up six runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out four, in the Marlins’ 16-10 win. In his last three starts, his record is 3-0, as he pitched nineteen innings, giving up nine runs on twenty hits and four walks, while striking out thirteen. He will be trying for his fourth straight win. The Phils will be out to take the lead from the Braves, if they lose again to the Pirates.
Phils win the weekend series after trading a pair of blow outs with the Nats, first losing on Saturday, 8-1, before winning on Sunday, 6-0.
The Phils took the weekend series from the Nats, losing one blow out on Saturday, 8-1, before winning another blow out on Sunday, 6-0.
On Saturday, the Nats took the lead in the first as, with the bases loaded, via a single by Ian Desmond, a walk to Adam Dunn, which sent Desmond to second base, a ground out by Ryan Zimmerman, 4-3, which moved both Desmond and Dunn up a base, and a walk to Roger Bernadina, and with two men out, Adam Kennedy receives an RBI walk, forcing in Desmond, giving the Nats a 1-0 lead, while moving both Dunn and Kennedy up a base. The Nats then made it a 3-0 lead as, with the bases still loaded, Ivan Rodriguez hits an RBI single, knocking in both Dunn and Bernadina, while sending Kennedy up to second base. The Nats then added to their lead in the third as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Kennedy hits an RBI single, knocking in Zimmerman, who had earlier doubled, and then went to third on Bernadina’s single, giving the Nats a 4-0 lead, while sending Bernadina, who had just singled, to second base. Three batters later, with the bases now loaded, via an infield single by Rodriguez, moving both Bernadina and Kennedy up a base, and with one man out, Nats’ starter Stephen Strasburg hits into a force out, 4-6, wiping out Rodriguez at second base for the second out of the inning, before Strasburg beats Jimmy Rollins’ throw to first, allowing Bernadina to score, giving the Nats a 5-0 lead, while Kennedy would move up to third as Strasburg would be safe at first. The Phils would get a run back in the fourth as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Ryan Howard, in his first game back from the dl, hits into an RBI ground out, 4-3, knocking in Placido Polanco, who would lead-off the inning with a double, then moved to third on Chase Utley’s ground out, 4-3, making it a 5-1 Nats’ lead. The Nats then put the game away for good in the ninth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Bernadina hits a three-run home run, his eighth home run of the year, scoring Desmond, who had earlier singled, then moved up to second on Dunn’s walk, and Justin Maxwell, who was pinch running for Dunn, giving the Nats an 8-1 lead. That would be the final score as Miguel Batista would end the game by getting pinch hitter Jayson Werth to fly out to center for the game’s final out.
Kyle Kendrick took the lost as he pitches five and two-thirds innings, giving up five runs on nine hits and four walks, while striking out two. His record is now 8-6 with a 4.58 ERA. J.C. Romero pitches an inning and a third of shut out ball, getting out all four men that he would face, one by strikeout. Jose Contreras pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out a batter. Chad Durbin pitches an inning, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk, while striking out two. Stephen Strasburg receives a no-decision as he pitches four and one third innings, before being taking out because of an injury, as he gives up a run on two hits, while striking out six. Craig Stammen pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit. Doug Slaten gets the win as he pitches one and two-thirds scoreless innings, striking out two. His record is now 3-1 with an ERA of 2.76. Tyler Clippard and Miguel Batista combine for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit (Clippard), and two walks (Batista) between them, while striking out two batters (one each).
The Phils had only four hits in the game, doubles by Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Ben Francisco and a single by Ryan Howard, with Howard knocking in the Phils’ only run on a ground out. The Phils’ offense was easily handled on Saturday.
On Sunday, the Nats tried to take another early lead in the first as Nyger Morgan lead-off the game with a single, stole second and then went to third on Desmond’s ground out, 6-3, with now one man out. But Phils’ starter Roy Oswalt ended the threat by striking out both Dunn, who was called out on strikes, and then Zimmerman swinging. The Phils then took the lead in their half of the first as, with a runner on third, and with one man out, Polanco hits a sacrifice fly, scoring Rollins, who had earlier doubled, then went to third on Raul Ibanez’s ground out, 6-3, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead. The Phils then added to their lead in the third as, with a man on second, and with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Oswalt, who had earlier singled, and then went to second on Rollins’ ground out, 1-3, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. The Phils then took a 4-0 lead in the sixth as, with the bases loaded, via a single to Howard, Werth hitting into a force out, 1-6, wiping out Howard at second, a double by Shane Victorino. with Werth stopping at third and an intentional walk to Carlos Ruiz, and with two men out, Wilson Valdez hits a two-run single, knocking in both Werth and Victorino, while sending Ruiz up to second base. After an hour and forty-four minutes rain delay, the Phils would put the game out of reach in the seventh as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Ibanez hits a two-run bomb to right, his twelfth home run of the year, knocking in Rollins, who had singled before the rain started, making it a 6-0 Phils’ lead. That would be the final score as J.C. Romero would come in to pitch a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out Bernadina looking, to end the game.
Roy Oswalt gets the win as he pitches seven shut out innings, giving up just five hits and a walk, while striking out eight. His record is now 3-1 (9-13) with a 2.43 (3.22) ERA. Ryan Madson and J.C. Romero pitches two 1-2-3 innings, striking out three between them (Madson (1), Romero (2)). Scott Olsen took the lost as he pitches six innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out three. His record is now 3-6 with a 5.21 ERA. Craig Stammen pitches an inning, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk. Joel Peralta pitches a 1-2-3 inning, striking out one.
The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Shane Victorino and Roy Oswalt each leading the team with two hits apiece, with Rollins and Victorino’s two hits being each a single and a double, while Polanco and Oswalt’s two hits were both singles, with Polanco knocking in two runs, one of them by a sac fly. Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, Carlos Ruiz and Wilson Valdez had the other four Phils’ hits, with Ibanez’s hit being a two-run home run, while Howard, Ruiz and Wilson’s hits were singles, with Wilson knocking in two runs. The Phils’ offense got rolling yesterday.
The Phils (70-53, 2nd East) with be hosting the Astros (54-69, 4th Central) for four games, starting tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will begin at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (5-6, 5.54), who is coming off a win against the Giants on August 18, as he pitched six and a third innings, giving up two runs on eight hits, while striking out seven, in the Phils’ 8-2 win. In his last three starts, his record is 1-0 with two no-decisions, as he pitched nineteen innings, giving up eight runs on twenty-three hits and four walks, while striking out fourteen. He will be trying to even up his record. The Astros will counter with ex-Phil Brett Myers (8-7, 3.11), who is coming off a no-decision against the Mets on August 18, where he pitched seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and three walks, while striking out four in the Astros’ 3-2 lost. In his last three starts, his record is 0-1 with two no-decisions, as he pitched twenty innings, giving up seven runs on twenty-one hits and four walks, while striking out thirteen. He’ll be trying to make good on his promise of sticking it to his old team, if his new team will be willing to score runs. The Phils will be out to make Myers eat his pre-season statement.
The new Vice Roy wins his first start as a Phils as the Phils defeat the Dodgers in a tight one, 2-0.
Roy Oswalt finally win his first start as a Phils as he and the back end of the bullpen throws a nine-inning goose egg at the Dodgers as the Phils win, 2-0.
The game was a tight one between the Phils and the Dodgers for the first three and a half innings pitchers’ duel between Phils’ starters Roy Oswalt, who was pitching in front of his new home town fans for the first time, and the Dodgers’ starter Chad Billingsley. During the first four innings that he faced the Dodgers, Oswalt gave up only three hits and a walk, while striking out a batter, as he pitched his way out a two on, and one out jam in the second, and a two on, two out jam in the third, while his opponent, Billingsley, gave up only a hit, while striking out three in his first three innings of work. But that would change in the bottom of the fourth as the Phils loaded up the bases via a single to Placido Polanco, and walks to Raul Ibanez and Jayson Werth, and with one man out, when Dom Brown hit a grounder to second baseman Ryan Theriot, who then threw to second to force out Werth, 4-6, for the inning’s second out, but Brown would beat out shortstop Jamey Carroll’s throw to first, allowing Polanco to score and give the Phils a 1-0 lead, while Ibanez would move up to third. After Oswalt gets himself out of another two on, two outs jam in the top of the fifth, the Phils tried to add to their lead in their half of the inning, as Wilson Valdez lead-off the inning with a triple. But Billingsley would turned the Phils back as he gets Oswalt to ground out to short, 6-3, for the inning’s first out, then got Jimmy Rollins to ground out to second, 4-3, on one pitch, for the inning’s second out, before ending the inning by getting Polanco to fly out to left. The Phils would finally add to their lead in the sixth as, with one man on, and with nobody out, Raul Ibanez hits an RBI double, knocking in pinch runner Mike Sweeney, who took over second from Ross Gload, who had earlier doubled, but had come up lame as he headed for second base, with Sweeney later staying in the game to play first base, giving the Phils a 2-0 lead. That would end up being the final score, as Oswalt would pitch seven scoreless inning, giving up just five hits and two walks, while striking out five, before handing the ball over to the back-end of the Phils’ bullpen, who then threw two more scoreless innings, allowing the Dodgers only one more hit, before Brad Lidge would nail down his fifteenth save of the season by striking out both Jay Gibbons and Carroll swinging.
Roy Oswalt gets the win, his first as a Phil, as he pitches seven strong innings, giving up just five hits and two walks, while striking out five. His record is now 7-13 (1-1) with an ERA of 3.34 (2.79). Ryan Madson collects his fourth hold, as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out two. Brad Lidge records his fifteenth save of the year as he pitches a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out two. Chad Billingsley took the lost as he pitches six innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks, while striking out three. His record is now 9-7 with a 3.78 ERA. Kenley Jansen and Hong-Chih Kuo combine for two scoreless innings, giving up two hits (one apiece), while striking out three (Jansen (2), Kuo (1)).
The Phils had only seven hits in the game, with Raul Ibanez leading the team with two hits as he increased his personal hitting streak to eighteen games, as he had a single and a double, knocking in a run. Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, Ross Gload (before he was taken out of the game for a groin injury), Jayson Werth and Wilson Valdez had the other five Phils’ hits, with Rollins, Polanco and Werth’s hits being singles, Gload’s hits being a double and Vladez’s hit being a triple. The Phil’s other run was knocked in by Dom Brown as he hit an RBI ground ball. The Phils, after a hitting display in a losing cause on Tuesday, had just enough hits to give Oswalt the win.
The Phils (63-50, 2nd NL East) will conclude their three-games series with the Dodgers (59-55, 4th NL West) with a night game tonight. The game will be played at Citizens Bank Park and will start at 7:05 pm Eastern. The Phils will send to the mound Joe Blanton (4-6, 5.65), who is coming off a no-decision against the Mets on August 6, as he went seven innings, giving up two runs on seven hits, while striking out four, in the Phils’ 7-5 win. In his last three starts, he has an 1-0 record with two no-decisions, as he had pitched nineteen innings, giving up eight runs on twenty-two hits and four walks, while striking out sixteen. He will be trying to end the home stand on a high note, hoping to give the Phils their fifteenth home win in their last seventeen home games. The Dodgers will counter with Clayton Kershaw (10-7, 3.19), who is coming off a lost against the Nationals on August 6, as he pitched six innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and two walks, while striking out nine, in the Dodgers’ 6-3 lost. In his last three starts, his record is 1-2, as he pitched twenty-one innings, giving up eight runs on twenty hits and seven walks, while striking out eighteen. He will be trying to end his present two-game losing streak. The Phils will be trying to end the home stand on a high note, before heading to New York for a three-game set.
The Phils split two in D.C. as Lidge on Saturday gives up a three-run home run in the ninth in a 9-7 Walk-Off lost to the Nats before nailing down Sunday’s 6-4 win in extra-inning.
The Phils lose Saturday night’s game, 7-5, as Brad Lidge gives up a three-run home run after Carlos Ruiz had given them a one run lead in the top of the ninth, before he save the game on Sunday as the Phils’ defeat the Nationals in eleven innings, 6-4.
On Saturday, the Nationals took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with two men out, Josh Willingham hits an RBI single, knocking in Nyjer Morgan, who had earlier singled, and had gone up to second on Ryan Zimmerman’s single, giving the Nats a 1-0 lead, while sending Zimmerman, who had earlier singled, on to third base. One batter later, with runners on the corners, the Nats made it a 2-0 lead as Roger Bernadina hits an RBI single, knocking in Zimmerman, while sending Willingham up to second base. The Nats then made it a 3-0 lead as Ivan Rodriguez hits an RBI single, scoring Willingham, while sending Bernadina on to third. The Phils would get a run back in the fourth as, with two men on, and with two men out, Wilson Valdez hits an RBI single, scoring Dom Brown, who was earlier safe on a force out, 4-6, wiping out Jayson Werth, who had earlier walked, and had moved up to second base on Carlos Ruiz’s single, cutting the Nats’ lead down to 3-1, while sending Ruiz, who had just singled, up to second base. The Phils cut the Nats’ lead down to 3-2 in the sixth as, with one man out, Ruiz hits a solo home run, his third home run of the season. The Nats added to their lead in their half of the sixth as, with runners on the corners, and with nobody out, Ian Desmond hits a sacrfiice fly, scoring Bernadina, who had earlier doubled, and had gone to third on Rodriguez’s single, making it a 4-2 Nats’ lead. The Phils would tie the game up at four-all in the seventh as, with one man on, and with one man out, Raul Ibanez hits a two-run home run, his tenth home run of the year, knocking in Placido Polanco, who had earlier walked. The Phils would take the lead in the ninth as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Ruiz hits an RBI single, knocking in Werth, who had earlier walked, moved up to second on Ross Gload’s sacrifice bunt, 5-3, and then went to third on Brown’s ground out, 4-3, giving the Phils a 5-4 lead. Brad Lidge was then given the ball to save it. Sadly, he did not. He was greeted by Michael Moore with a single to center. After Morgan moves Moore up to second on a sacrifice bunt, 3-4, for the inning’s first out, Lidge walks Adam Kennedy to put two men on base. The next batter, Ryan Zimmerman, then hits a 2-1 fastball into center field for a three-run home run, his eighteenth home run of the year, for a 7-5 walk-off win.
Joe Blanton receives a no-decision as he pitches six innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk, while striking out eight. Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson together pitches two scoreless innings giving up a hit (Contreras) and a walk (Contreras), while striking out four Nats (Contreras (2), Madson (2)). Brad Lidge committed his fourth blown save of the year as he took the lost, as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up three runs on two hits and a walk. His record is 1-1 with a 5.57 ERA. Ross Detwiler also receives a no-decision as he pitches five and a third innings, giving up a run on five hits and three walks, while striking out three. Joel Peralta receives his third hold of the year as he pitches two-thirds of an inning, giving up a run on on one hit. Tyler Clippard commited his ninth blown save of the year as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. Doug Slaten and Miguel Batista combine for one and a third scoreless innings, giving up just two hits (Slaten (1), Batista (1)) and a walk (Batista), while striking out one (Slaten). Sean Burnett pitches an inning, giving up a run on a walk. Drew Storen gets the win as he pitches a third of an inning, giving up a hit. His record is 3-2 with a 2.61 ERA.
The Phils had eleven hits in the game, with Carlos Ruiz leading the team with three hits, two singles and a solo home run, knocking in two runs. He was followed by Jimmy Rollins and Jayson Werth who both had two hits, all singles. Placido Polanco, Raul Ibanez, pinch hitter Ross Gload and Wilson Valdez had the other four Phils’ hit, with Polanco, Gload and Wilson’s hits being singles, with Valdez knocking in a run, while Ibanez’s hit was a two-run home run.
In Sunday’s game, the Phils’ took the lead in the first as, with two men on, and with two men out, Ben Francisco hits an RBI single, scoring Werth, who had earlier doubled, giving the Phils a 1-0 lead, while sending Ryan Howard, who was earlier hit by the pitch, up to second base, before he was taken out of the game for a sprained ankle, as he went back to second base wrong. After Howard was replaced at second base by pinch runner Cody Ransom, the Phils took a 2-0 lead as Brown hits an RBI single, scoring Ransome, while sending Francisco to second base. The Nats’ tied the game up at two-all in the fourth as, with two men on, and with one man out, Zimmerman hits a two-run double, scoring Bernadina, who had earlier singled, and had gone to third on Desmond’s double, and Desmond, who had earlier doubled. The Nats took a 4-2 lead in the sixth as, with a man on base, and with one out, Adam Dunn hits a two-run home run, his twenthy-fifth home run of the season, scoring Desmond, who had earlier singled. The Phils got a run back in the seventh as, with a runner on first, and with no one out, Polanco hits an RBI double, scoring Rollins, who had earlier walked, cutting the Nats’ lead to 4-3. Three batters later, with runners on the corners, as Polanco went to third on a Gload pinch hit single, and with one man out, Francisco hits a grounder to third, that Zimmerman did not catch cleanly, before throwing to second base, 5-4, to force out Gload at second for the inning’s second out, but was unable to throw out Francisco, allowing Polanco to score the tying run, as the Phils tied the score 4-4 on the force out. The Phils would retake the lead in the eleventh as, with a runner on third, and with two men out, Polanco hits an RBI single, knocking in Valdez, who was safe at first on a bunt attempt, although replays showed that he was actually out, the Phils catching a break, moved up to second on pinch hitter Roy Oswalt’s sacrifice bunt, 3-4, and then went to third on Rollins’ fly out to center, giving the Phils a 5-4 lead. The Phil made it a 6-4 lead as Werth hits an RBI double, scoring Polanco. The Phils then handed the ball over to Lidge, who this time had a 1-2-3 inning, recording his eleventh save of the year.
Cole Hamels receives a no-decision as he pitches seven innings, giving up four runs on six hits, while striking out ten. J.C. Romero and Ryan Madson combine for two scoreless innings, giving up just one hit (Madson) and a walk (Romero) between them, while striking out two (one each). Jose Contreras gets the win as he pitches a scoreless inning, giving up a hit, while striking out one. His record is now 6-3 with a 3.65 ERA. Brad Lidge records his eleventh save as he pitches a 1-2-3 inning. John Lannan also receives a no-decision as he pitches five innings, giving up two runs on seven hits and a walk, while he strikes out three. Miguel Batista pitches an inning, plus two batters, giving up two runs on one hit and a walk. Joel Peralta receives his first blown save of the year as he pitches two innings, giving up a hit. Drew Doren pitches two 1-2-3 innings, striking out two batters. Collin Balester took the lost as he pitches an inning, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk, striking out a batter. His record is now 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA.
The Phils had twelve hits in the game, with Placido Polanco leading the team with three hits, two singles and a double, knocking in two runs. Jayson Werth, Ben Francisco and Wilson Valdez follow with two hits each, with Werth’s hits being doubles, knocking in a run, while Francisco’s hits were a single and a double, knocking in two runs, and Valdez’s hits were both singles. Dom Brown, Cole Hamels and pinch hitter Ross Gload had the other three Phils’ hits, all singles, with Brown knocking in a run. The Phils’ offense, while scoring runs, haven’t busted open a game on the road since the All-Star break. They’re due for a few, although they might not be able to do it for a while with Ryan Howard being day-to-day because of his ankle injury.
The Phils (57-48, 2nd NL East), now two and a half games behind the Braves in the East (if not for Lidge’s blown save on Saturday, they could be a game and a half behind the Braves, as Atlanta lost two of three to the Reds in Cincinnati during the weekend) have the day off today, before they go to face the Marlins for three in Miami, starting tomorrow night. Who would have thought that with all of the problems the Phils have had this year, they would still be within striking distance of the Braves in the East? I’m sure most people wouldn’t, including a lot of my fellow Phillies fans. This means that either this team is very resiliant, or the Braves aren’t as strong as everyone have been thinking they were during the last two months.
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