The Phillies Offense Has Sprung a Leake
In 2012, the Phillies faced Reds pitcher Mike Leake twice and destroyed him to the tune of 13 runs. He had an overall ERA against the Phils of 17.55. Ouch. But last night, this team sprung Leake from his Phillies prison, allowing him to mow them down one hitter after another.
Ah, sweet freedom for Mr. Leake. He must be quite relieved this morning.
On the exact opposite side, the Phillies probably got little sleep due to nightmares. Some people have nightmares about standing naked in a crowd. The Phillies are probably having nightmares about standing at home plate without a bat. They may as well have been standing there without one if they were never going to use it.
And that pretty much describes this entire 6-game road trip which went down in flames after getting swept in 3-games by the Reds. They scored only 10 runs in all 6 games and came away with just 2 wins, both against the Marlins.
Granted, it is very, very early in the season. The Phillies have time to make up ground, however, these are very serious issues. At some point, one has to question whether or not this team is capable of more. But we will not really know until we see the whole team together as it was meant to be; that means when Carlos Ruiz returns and we also finally see what Delmon Young has to offer. Ruiz cannot return due to suspension until April 28th. And Young is still on the DL, although he has been participating in extended Spring Training games.
To make matters worse, Domonic Brown left the game early with a sore back; he will have an MRI today. And John Lannan, who got pounded for 6 runs in 1.2 innings last night, complained of a sore knee after the game. His status is unknown.
Do not be surprised if manager Charlie Manual decides to shake up the line-up tonight against the Cardinals. And say a prayer that Cole Hamels can get his first win of the season; although, he may need a little offense to get that done. *Sigh.*
Game time is 7:05pm.
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Photoshopping by Jenn Zambri Photography
2013 Phillies: Déjà Vu or Déjà Voodoo?
Let us examine the latest Phillies performance last night in Cinncinatti: The starting pitching was solid, the offense was mostly absent and the bullpen blew the game in the 8th inning, resulting in a loss. Sound like a familiar scenario? It should; that describes most of the 2012 season. Ugh.
Is this Déjà vu or Déjà voodoo? Has someone or something cast a sleepy spell over this team for the second consecutive year? It is like Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs in the bullpen passing the cursed apple around to the rest of the team. If the drowsy Phils are waiting for Prince Charming to deliver true love’s kiss and wake them up, they may be waiting for quite a long time…
Because if Chase Utley’s 2 run bomb to tie the game up in the 8th inning wasn’t enough to light a fire under this team, I cannot imagine what would be enough. Or how about Cliff Lee’s gutsy performance after a very weird 7th inning? He wound up only allowing 2 runs in 7 innings, which is a pretty good day.
And then there was the amazing, stupendous, brain-warping, Superman catch that Ben Revere made earlier in the game. Nearly everyone on the team starred in awe as Revere flew through the air backwards and nearly horizontal to snag this ball. He even had the presence of mind to throw the ball in to double up the runner, even after smashing face first into the ground after the catch.
Still, this team could not rally late in the game. They had only 5 hits total on the night. Both Jeremy Horst and Mike Adams struggled in the 8th, allowing 2 more runs to the Reds who had also had difficulty finding hits early in the game.
Worse, the Reds came into this game on a 5-game losing streak. The Phillies should have crushed them. Instead, they went down in flames, losing by a score of 4-2. Their offense has been on the Most Wanted list for 4 straight games now. No one seems to know where it went.
Meanwhile, the Braves still only have 1 loss (to the Phils, oddly enough) and the Fightins’ are lurking near the bottom of the NL East in 4th place. Ok, it is only April, I know…still, this team needs to WAKE UP!
Perhaps I am being a little rough on the team here. But it is easier to be angry about a silly baseball game than have to think about what a sad day it was yesterday. Although Monday was Jackie Robinson day, sadly, this was overshadowed by the tragedy in Boston earlier that day. So while I am in the mood to rant, can I just say, what is with these freaking psychopaths bombing innocent people?? I am outraged, as are the rest of the sane to mostly-sane people of the world.
My heart goes out to all the people affected by this senseless act of evil. I wish I had better words to convey my sympathies. But all I can think is sad, sad, sad… :O(
Photo courtesy of ESPN.com
Phillies Fishing for Offense in Series Win
All 3 games between the Phillies and the Marlins this weekend went into the 9th inning tied by a score of 1-1. It is safe to say that both teams had a wee bit of trouble finding runs.
The Phillies had base runners in the series, but only hit 6 for 30 with runners in scoring position. Both Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley could not come through with the bases loaded; Rollins was 0 for 8 total. And today, the Phils hit into 3 double plays to kill rallies.
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Despite the seriously offensive offense, the Phillies managed to squeak out two wins. A lot of that had much to do with the fact that they were playing the Marlins, who look a lot like Phillies-Lite: Placido Polanco, Juan Pierre, Greg Dobbs and Chad Qualls are all ex-Phils.
In another unusual turn of events, Laynce Nix wound up being the hero of the day in the finale. Nix smashed a 2nd deck homer to right field to give the Phillies a 2-1 lead in the top of the 9th inning. It was Nix’s second home run pinch hit in the last 4 games. He also made a diving grab in right field in Saturday’s game; diving is not his forte, so this was truly a sight to behold. Ok Laynce, you win…I like you. You can stay. ;o)
But the real story of the day was Roy Halladay who picked up his 200th career win today. Not only was that an amazing feat, but this win had to be a huge relief in another way as well. After struggling mightily basically since last year, Halladay finally had a Halladay-like game. In 8 innings, the Doc allowed only 1 run with 5 hits and a walk. Granted it was against the Fish, but this will be a huge boost for his confidence.
So congratulations to Roy Halladay on his 200th career win!
The Phillies will celebrate tonight and then it is back to work tomorrow in Cincinnati. Game time is 7:05pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
The First Series Win of 2013
The Phillies won their first series of the season by beating the Mets on Wednesday night by a 7-3 score. It was certainly hitting weather; all 10 runs scored in the game came from home runs. The real difference in the game was that the Phillies hit with men on base and the Mets did not.
The other big bangs of the night came from the thunder and lightning in the sky, which delayed the game for just under half an hour. But pitcher Kyle Kendrick weathered the storm and rebounded from a bad first start of the season at the Home Opener. He struggled at times, but worked out of the jams with determination.
This was a very big win for the Phils who were off to a very scary start in the first 9 games of the year, of which they have now won 4. Not great, but things are looking up.
On the other hand, attendance is trending downward. There were an awful lot of empty seats at Citizens Bank Park this home stand, with attendance dipping as low as 35,393 on Monday night. I suppose fewer and fewer folks are feeling optimistic about the team these days.
But don’t feel bad; the Phillies are not alone. The Red Sox record-breaking streak of 820 games (794 in the regular season) finally ended last night. Ah yes, the fans of Boston are but mere mortals once again.
So cheer up people! It is a new season and everyone has still got a chance…
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
A Tale of Two Pitchers
While Cliff Lee is pitching like a man at the peak of his career, Roy Halladay seems to be in a free fall. With an 8-3 pounding of the Mets last night, Lee has started the season off with a 2-0 record. Halladay, on the other hand, has begun with 2 awful losses.
Even the offense seemed pumped to perform for Lee. The Phillies even hit 3 home runs in 1 inning to support their ace on the mound. Ryan Howard, Michael Young and John Mayberry Jr. all went yard for the first time this year.
Lee gave up only 2 earned runs and nearly pitched a complete game, coming just one out shy. Manager Charlie Manual decided his pitch count was high enough at 106 and had Mike Adams finish off the game.
On the exact opposite side of things, Halladay looks like a little lost boy out on the mound searching for home. His 2-7 loss to the Mets on Monday was especially difficult to watch. Halladay allowed 7 runs in only 4 innings before being chased out of the game. The Mets looked like they were taking batting practice off him.
Obviously, there are a lot of problems here. But I would like to point out one issue that I have not heard anyone else mention. Keep in mind, I am not a doctor and this is just an observation on my part; I have no inside knowledge here. The Doc looks like he needs a doc.
The temperature at game time on Monday was 72 degrees, which dropped into the mid-60’s by the 2nd inning. And yet, Halladay was sweating so profusely that it looked like rain coming off the brim of his cap. His face was not just red; it was almost purple. And this is not a new observation. Halladay has been exhibiting the fire-faced sweats since Spring Training.
During the spring, they blamed it on the flu or some kind of virus. I think it is safe to assume he no longer has this virus. Still, in 65 degree weather, at night, Halladay looked like he might pass out on the mound. This is a problem that I think might go beyond age or mechanics. I am seriously beginning to think he may be ill.
I could be totally off base here, but I am worried about the guy. I cannot help but wonder if the medical staff has done any blood tests or if a proud man like Halladay would even submit to such testing?
This very well could just be Father Time catching up to a man who dominated the pitching world for so long. Maybe he is just out of bullets. Maybe the fire-faced sweats are just a combination of the usual work that goes into pitching and a boat-load of stress. And maybe he will figure out how to locate his pitches again and all will be well with the world. I hope that is the case.
Perhaps I am just grasping at straws here for an answer. And I am sure no one wants Roy Halladay to figure out what the issue is more than Roy Halladay. In the meantime, all we can do is watch and hope for the best.
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Photoshopping by Jenn Zambri Photography
One Comeback and One Almost Comeback
The ending of Saturday’s Phillies – Royals game left everyone feeling upbeat and energized. Kevin Frandsen completed an unlikely come from behind win for the Phillies with a 9th inning, bases-clearing double. The Phillies hopped off the field with a 4-3 victory.
It was such a positive moment, you almost expected the Phillies to win on Sunday just on that momentum alone. But sadly, that did not happen.
Everyone has been asking what is wrong with Roy Halladay. Well, how about, what is wrong with Cole Hamels? This guy was picked as a front runner this year to maybe even win a Cy Young. And yet, his first 2 starts of the season were both awful.
Today, Hamels gave up 8 earned runs in only 5 2/3 innings. 4 of those runs came off the 1st grand slam Hamels has ever allowed. It was also a record-setting day for Billy Butler of the Royals with his 1st grand slam and a career high 7-RBI.
The Phillies offense did look like they were on fire at the start of the game, scoring 4 runs in the first inning.
But the bats went cold as James Shields found his groove and began mowing down Phillies hitters. And once Hamels was finally pulled, the bullpen did him no favors. Chad Durbin allowed 2 more runs to score (charged to Hamels) and Jeremy Horst gave up a run in the 8th as well.
Then in the 9th, the Phillies offense attempted a comeback for the second straight night, starting off down by a score of 4-9. The Phillies squeaked out 4 more runs and fell just one shy of completing the comeback as Erik Kratz struck out after a very good at-bat where he battled to stay alive.
But in the end, it is another loss, leaving the Phillies with a 2-4 record to start the season. This has not been the start anyone hoped for. The bullpen, supposedly a strong point, has been terrible. The starters have been shaky except for Cliff Lee and John Lannan. And the offense is streaky, just as it was last year.
So what is the cure for all that ails the Phillies? Hopefully, that is the New York Mets. They come to town Monday night for a 7:05pm start; Halladay will pitch.
Here is the Photo Album from Sunday’s game.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Home Opener Disaster for Phillies
The day began so promising for the Phillies. The sun was shining, people were smiling and the Home Opener was upon us:
The festivities continued with the traditional patriotism, Leap Frog jumpers falling from the sky and team introductions. Retired Phillies Mike Schmidt and Dickie Noles joined their former rival from the 1980 Phillies-Royals World Series, George Brett on the field for some pre-game pitches. All was well with the world…
And then the game started.
The Phillies actually looked like the World Series champs of old for about 4 innings. Domonic Brown and Erik Kratz hit home runs; Chase Utley and Ryan Howard were hitting; and by the end of the 3rd inning, the Phillies had a 4-0 lead.
And then it all went downhill….fast.
Kyle Kendrick, who was solid to start the game, began getting hit hard by the 5th inning. By the 6th inning, Kendrick was out of gas and pulled from the game. But not before the Phils intentionally walked Billy Butler to load the bases with 2 outs. This may have been the one call that sent the game into a real tailspin.
Because once the bullpen took over, all hell broke loose. All 3 of those runs scored, thanks to Jeremy Horst. Additional damage was done by the pen later, as the Royals scored in every single inning from the 5th on.
Ben Revere got called out when he looked safe (see photo)…Brown dove for a ball in the outfield and missed…it was a total disaster.
By the 8th inning, fans were scurrying to the exits like a herd of deer running from a hungry cougar. It was ugly.
With this 4-13 loss, the Phillies have now dropped 3 of their first 4 games, allowing 29 runs in those 3 losses. They seriously need a win tonight.
John Lannan makes his Phillies debut tonight at 7:05pm. Best of luck to him…he’ll need it.
And here is the Photo Album from the game.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Rainy Halladay in Atlanta
After Roy Halladay began his first outing of the year by giving up 3 runs in the first inning, it was apparent that things were not headed in a good direction. Pitching in the sloppy, cold rain did not help either, but it was the perfect metaphor for what was about to unfold for the Phillies. It was indeed a sad rainy and dreary day.
Halladay did not even make it past the 4th inning. In 3 1/3, he put the Phils in a 5-0 hole. And then Raul Valdes added 2 more for the Braves in that 4th inning, to make matters worse.
But I refuse to spew bad things about the Doc. I will give him 3 strikes, as is appropriate, before I count him out. While this should not happen, 3 bad starts in a row would signal the beginning of the end.
However, let’s not even go there. On the bright side, Halladay did strike out 9 batters in just 3 1/3 innings. And he totally made the day for Braves rookie, Evan Gattis, who pounded a home run off Doc for his very first major league at-bat. There is night he won’t forget. Halladay is clearly a generous man.
Was that stretching for a bit of good news? Probably. But it is preferable to hanging my head and crying into my oatmeal over 1 starting pitching performance.
On the other hand, this is going to be a very long 5 days…
The Phillies have one last hope to grab a game from the Braves tonight…Cliff Lee takes the mound at 7:10pm.
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Hamels Hammered on Opening Day
The Phillies got crushed by the Braves on Monday night in a 5-7 Opening Day loss. But let us begin with a bit of good news…Chase Utley was amazing. Utley collected 3 RBI on a homer, single and a triple, coming just a double short of hitting for the cycle. And that concludes the ‘good news’ portion of the program…
In the bad news category, Cole Hamels faltered once again in his first start of the season. Hamels has now lost his first start of the season in 5 of his last 7 attempts. This year was different as he finally got to start on Opening Day, so the expectations were high. Allowing 5 runs in 5 innings, including 3 home runs, was not exactly what everyone had hoped for.
I blame the facial hair. Hamels had a full beard and mustache through most of Spring Training. On Friday afternoon, the hair was still there. But by Friday evening into Saturday, the beard disappeared. Finally, by Monday at game time the fuzz was history.
I think all the furry drama threw his game off. It was truly a hairy situation.
Facial hair aside, not much went right for the Phillies last night. The offense, mostly Utley, kept trying to bail Hamels out, but the Braves just kept the runs coming. And then Chad Durbin wound up allowing 2 more runs in relief without recording an out.
The main thing to focus on now is that this is just one game. It was certainly a hugely disappointing game, but still a drop in the bucket.
The Phillies are off today; the next game with the Braves is Wednesday at 7:10pm. This will be an interesting one as Roy Halladay makes his first start of the season. Facing a potent Braves line-up will be a good test of whether Halladay is really ready to go or not.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Weekend Prelude to Opening Day
The Phillies hosted two exhibition games this weekend, signaling the end of Spring Training and the start of the regular season on Monday. As they have the past several years, the Phillies planned a number of special events and surprises on Friday and Saturday.
Friday began with the On-Deck Reception, hosted by the Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. There were players signing autographs, several Q & A sessions with players and coaches, and an on-field introduction of the entire team:
I personally got autographs from Domonic Brown (and a photo as well), Erik Kratz, John Mayberry Jr. and Antonio Bastardo. This was my first time attending this particular event and it was well worth the effort. The only bummer of the day was I discovered that the autofocus on my very expensive camera had died :O( Ugh. So I apologize in advance for 2 days worth of so-so photos, as I had to use my mediocre eye sight to manually focus a very large lens.
The prior to the evenings game, players wandered around the stadium greeting fans and some stopped for photos. I had my picture taken with John Lannan, Antonio Bastardo, Humberto Quintero and hitting coach Wally Joyner.
Cliff Lee started the game that night and looked ready to go for the season. But his real highlight was helping Cole Hamels man the Phanatic’s hot dog shooter between innings:
To be honest, the game was rather boring, so the hot dog-interlude was a very welcome distraction. The Phils lost 1-0.
More fun was happening prior to Saturday’s game as well. After some very stealth stalking on my part, I managed to get photos with a few new guys and a Hall of Famer: Mike Adams, Ender Inciarte and third-base-coach/HOF guy, Ryne Sandburg. That was pretty awesome. Both exhibitions games were well worth the trip because of these little extras.
The game itself, however, did not go well against a very potent Blue Jays line-up. The Jays beat up on Kyle Kendrick, who gave up 5 runs in 3 innings. John Lannan took over for the next 3 innings and held the Jays to 1
more run. It was not quite out of reach for the Phillies though until very late. Here are a few highlights:
And Cliff Lee finally got his turn at the helm of the hot dog cannon, with Hamels “feeding” the device:
The end result was a 10-4 loss. But luckily, the game did not count.
The Phillies announced the Opening Day roster afterwards. There were not too many surprises there:
Rotation (5): Cole Hamels, Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Kyle Kendrick and John Lannan.
Bullpen (7): Jonathan Papelbon, Mike Adams, Antonio Bastardo, Chad Durbin, Phillippe Aumont, Jeremy Horst and Raul Valdes.
Catchers (2): Erik Kratz and Humberto Quintero.
Infielders (6): Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Michael Young, Kevin Frandsen and Freddy Galvis.
Outfielders (5): Ben Revere, Domonic Brown, John Mayberry Jr., Laynce Nix and Ender Inciarte.
Inciarte is a Rule-5 guy; they have to keep him on the roster or offer him back to the D-backs. Only 22-years old, he has never played above High-A level. He offers some depth in the outfield for now. Plus, he is adorable, so I approve ;o)
So here we are, finally! Opening Day! Game time is 7:10pm Monday night in Atlanta.
And here are the links to my photo albums from the weekend: Friday’s On-Deck Reception and Exhibition Game and Saturday’s Exhibition Game.
Go Phillies!
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
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