Results tagged ‘ Antonio Bastardo ’
Hamels Gets 1st Win as Chooch Returns for Sweep of Mets
Perhaps it is fitting that Cole Hamels did not get his first win of the season until the day Carlos Ruiz returned from a 25-game suspension. Throughout the weekend, the Phillies suddenly began to show signs of life. Maybe a lot of that had to do with the anticipation of Chooch’s return.
After losing 3 of 4 to the Pirates, the Phils proceeded to storm New York and sweep the Mets in 3 games. Kyle Kendrick shut them out on Friday and Jonathan Pettibone collected his first major league win on Saturday. Then Sunday afternoon, Hamels held the Mets to 1 run to complete the sweep.
While Ruiz did not have a huge impact on the game, going 1 for 4, his mere presence did seem to have everyone in high spirits. The game was tied 1-1 going into the 7th; in previous games, this lack of offense would have had the entire team tied up in knots, pressing at the plate. But today, everyone was a little more relaxed.
That 7th inning was the key; Laynce Nix came through again as a pinch-hitter with a 2-out single and Jimmy Rollins followed with a single of his own. Then Ryan Howard, who did not start the game, smacked a 2-run, pinch-hit double to put the Phillies on top. Chase Utley singled to score Howard and add to the lead.
Even the bullpen finally looked normal. Antonio Bastardo, Mike Adams and Jonathan Papelbon each pitched a scoreless inning to nail down the 5-1 win. This is the team we have all been waiting to see. The question is, can they keep the momentum going?
Monday is an off day and Tuesday, the Phillies will be in Cleveland to take on the Indians at 7:05pm.
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Photoshopping 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
2012 Phillies Photo Tribute
Drum roll please….
Here is my annual Phillies Photo Slideshow! The slideshow includes all original photos that I took during the 2012 season; it includes players, coaches, fans, the Phanatic, and more. Enjoy!
The 2012 Phillies: A Season to Forget
The torture that was the 2012 Phillies season is finally over. And sadly, it ended just as I predicted before the season even began; without a playoff bid. I was hoping to be wrong about that.
Since the Phillies won the World Series in 2008, each year they have taken exactly one step backwards. So this year, missing the playoffs seemed like their destiny. They lost the World Series in 2009; lost the NL Championship Series in 2010; lost the NL Division Series in 2011; and now, the next logical step has arrived. The Phillies will go home early without even a sniff at a post-season run.
Remember happy days like these?:
For now, they are gone :O(
The first casualties of the 2012 disaster are already accounted for. Bench coach Pete Mackanin, hitting coach Greg Gross and first base coach Sam Perlozzo have all been given their walking papers. More fallout is probably on the horizon, but it will probably involve players, not coaches.
So who else should stay and who should go? Here are some thoughts, starting with the offense:
In 195 at-bats, Kevin Frandsen hit .338, which led the team. And for an entire month, he played with a stress fracture in his leg, yet he still kept hitting. I say put him at 3rd base and get a back-up in case of injuries.
If the Phillies do not re-sign Juan Pierre, they are insane. He hit .307 in 394 at-bats, led the team in stolen bases with 37 and he is the best bunter you can find anywhere.
Bring Shane Victorino back! After a depressing second half with the Dodgers, his price will go down, possibly to the point where the Phillies can afford to resign him. John Mayberry Jr. and Domonic Brown can platoon and then the Phils need another outfielder or two.
Needs to Go: Nate Schierholtz, Ty Wigginton, Michael Martinez. Martinez is good defensively, but hit only .174 in 115 at-bats. They can find a better utility guy. And we are stuck with Laynce Nix for one more year unless someone is willing to trade for him…not likely.
Back-up Catcher: In – Erik Kratz; Out – Brian Schneider.
Relief Pitching: Jonathan Papelbon stays and probably Antonio Bastardo. I will also put in votes for Jeremy Horst and Phillipe Aumont. The maybes are Jake Diekman and Justin DeFratus, although DeFratus needs to be 100% healthy, which I feel is still in question. Michael Stutes may return, but no one is sure in what condition.
Please Go Away: Josh Lindblom – trade him (if anyone wants him). He has been awful. This team needs some veteran help in the pen.
Please Come Back: Ryan Madson!
As for starters, unless someone’s arm falls off, stick with the usual 5: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay (pray he gets healthy), Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick.
And of course, all the usual suspects, like Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, etc… will be back. But will they be healthy? That is the looming question.
To give an idea of how badly the injuries hurt the team this year, consider this: I may be missing some, but by looking at the team stats, at least 49 different players made an appearance for the Phillies this year, rotating in and out of the 25-man roster. Also, only 2 players of those 49 reached 400 or more at-bats; Rollins (632) and Mayberry (441). That is scary.
So the season is over and the healing (quite literally) shall begin. Do you have any thoughts you would like to share about this season? Feel free to leave comments below.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Sweep the Nationals!
It was apparent today that Cliff Lee was determined to win a game at home, something he has not done all year long. And for most of the 1st 5 innings, it was all Lee, all the time. He pitched, he hit and he played defense.
The first score of the game came off the bat of Lee who doubled in a run in the 5th inning. The rest of the team got on board fast, with a 2-run homer from Jimmy Rollins. Laynce Nix added a solo homer in the 6th and Lee held the Nats to 1 run in 7 innings for the 4-1 win and a 3-game sweep!
The day before, Roy Halladay continued his journey to being Roy Halladay once again. He went 7 innings allowing only 2 runs on 7 hits and a walk.
Halladay got our old buddy Jayson Werth to strike out twice and coaxed 2 grounds out from rookie star Bryce Harper. Both were all smiles before the game, but not after.
The big bopper of the night was John Mayberry Jr. who had two hits, including a line-drive homer to left, and picked up 3 RBI in the game. Chase Utley drove the other run in and Rollins set the table with 2 walks off another old Phillie, Gio Gonzalez. Kevin Fransden also had a hit and did a lot of cheering for his teammates.
Then in the 8th, the old Antonio Bastardo came back for a visit. Where has this guy been all year? He struck out the side, handing a fairly easy save to Jonathan Papelbon in the 9th.
Some other awesome sights at the ballpark on Saturday were creatures from the Philly Zoo and a grinning Domonic Brown, despite having a sore knee:
Despite the sweep, the Phillies are still 9.5 games back in the Wild Card race, so don’t get your hopes up too much. It is not impossible, however, they’d pretty much have to win every game from here to the end. But the news is good for next year as the bullpen is improving and starters are getting healthier.
And of course, they just swept the dreaded Nationals. I cannot think of a better reason to be happy right now. Here is the full Photo Album from Saturday’s game.
The Phillies have a day off on Monday and the Mets come to town on Tuesday. Game time is 7:05pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Pitching Frustrating Once Again
The Phillies lost in spectacularly bad fashion by a score of 12-6 against the Braves last night, losing the 3 game series. Kyle Kendrick went only 3 1/3 innings while giving up 6 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. Kendrick looked like he was sleepwalking through the game. He was awful.
The only thing worse than Kyle Kendrick’s pitching was his post-game interview. Nearly all of Kendrick’s stammerings after games give off an uncalled for air of righteous indignation, which is infuriating. Last night, he dropped this gem on the press: “I guess that’s how it is with me. It’s been, ‘What have you done for me lately?’.”
Aww, poor baby. Are those mean people picking on you, Kyle? Seriously? His reaction to totally sucking is to point out that people are unhappy when he sucks? Please excuse me while I vomit…
The most irritating part about Kendrick is that we all know he can pitch. We have seen him do it. But when he goes bad, he goes really bad and it almost seems as if he could care less. And so continues our ongoing frustration with Kendrick.
But even after those 6 runs, the Phillies battled back. Jimmy Rollins led the game off with a homer. Kevin Fransden had 2 hits and some nice plays at 3rd base. And Ryan Howard mashed a 3-run homer in the 5th to tie the game up.
However, mega frustration #2 showed up again after that: Antonio Bastardo. This kid should NOT be pitching in the 8th inning anymore. He clearly has lost whatever mojo he had last season. Bastardo gave up 3 more runs and then Josh Lindblom, newly acquired from the Dodgers, tacked on 3 more. Disgusting. Especially after the offense battled back like that, this was a serious kick in the gut.
The Phillies will have the day off today to wallow in this sickening loss before having to face the World Champion Cardinals on Friday. We can only hope that series will be better than this one.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Streaking & Signing: Things Are Looking Up for the Phillies
It is officially a streak – the Phillies have won 4 games in a row and all 4 came during their final at-bat. In the 3-game sweep of the Brewers, every game also ended in the exact same score, 7-6.
Tuesday’s improbable win included a 6-run rally in the 8th inning which was started by a 2-run homer from 2nd back-up catcher, Erik Kratz. To that point, Kratz had exactly 3 major league hits and all 3 were home runs.
Then today, Kratz doubled his major league hit total even while abandoning the long ball. He recorded 3 hits including an RBI and a double in extra innings to once again set the Phillies up for a late-game win. Chase Utley also had 3 hits today plus 3 RBI. Jimmy Rollins got the game-winning hit today and also in Sunday’s walk-off win.
As for the pitching, Cliff Lee was not great on Tuesday, giving up 6 runs. But the Phillies offense got all 6 back for him in that 8th inning. Then today Vance Worley had an ok outing, allowing 3 runs in 5.1 innings. Kyle Kendrick kept him from further damage with 1.2 scoreless innings.
The bullpen has, with one exception, found it’s groove in these last 4 games. Only Antonio Bastardo faltered with a 2-run homer to Ryan Braun today that almost cost them the game. But the late-inning magic bailed him out, even despite another Ty Wigginton error at third base.
But the HUGE bang for the Phillies came earlier today when the Phillies announced they finally signed ace pitcher Cole Hamels to a long-term deal. A collective sigh of relief was heard around the city.
Hamels got 6 years for $144 million, which is the second biggest contract ever behind only CC Sabathia of the Yankees who got $161 for 7 years back in 2008. It is the largest contract ever for a Phillie.
It appears then that the Phillies have not given up just yet. The Hamels signing should be a big relief for guys like Lee, Rollins and Roy Halladay who chose to come to or stay in Philly with the promise from the front office that they would continue to try to win in the long-term. And these last 4 wins which happened in the most unlikely ways should also light a fire under the entire team.
The Phillies are off tomorrow for the annual Phestival and they will then fly to Atlanta for 3 games with the Braves. Those 3 games will be very telling as to whether this team can stage an improbable comeback and make a run at a Wild Card spot.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Escape Sweep With 12-Inning Walk-Off Win
It was nice to finally see some smiles at the ballpark today as the Phillies walked-off with a 4-3 win in 12 innings over the Giants. When the game first began, things did not seem like they were going the way of the Phillies as Joe Blanton gave up a solo homer after tossing only 3 pitches.
But Blanton settled in and wound up allowing 3 runs over 8 innings. Most of the offense was supplied by John Mayberry Jr. who hit 2 solo home runs. And Chase Utley tripled a run home in the bottom of the first.
There were some nice defensive plays and some adventurous ones:
After the 8th inning though, both teams seemed to be stuck in neutral. Amazingly, the Phillies bullpen did not surrender a run after that. Antonio Bastardo, Jeremy Horst and Kyle Kendrick combined for 4 scoreless innings.
Finally in the 12 inning, the Phillies got a rally going. After a walk to Carlos Ruiz, Laynce Nix singled in his first game back off the DL. Then after a mostly quiet day at the plate, Jimmy Rollins came through with a single to score Ruiz for a walk-off win.
The Phillies were so excited, they grabbed whatever was at hand to celebrate. In this case, several water bottles would have to do.
This win was a huge relief for all. J-Roll told Jim Jackson at 1210AM after the game, “The fans have not given up on us and we aren’t giving up on ourselves.”
Here is the full Photo Album from today’s 12-inning marathon.
The Brewers come to town tomorrow! Game time is 7:05pm.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Showing Signs of Life
The Phillies had not won a series since June 20th, the last time they faced the Rockies. It is fitting then that almost a month later, their next series win also came against the Rockies.
On Saturday, Vance Worley led the team pitching 6.2 innings and allowing only 2 runs. The game was almost a rout as the Phillies led 6-2 going into the 8th inning. But the bullpen struck again, allowing 3 Rockies runs and cutting the lead to a very uncomfortable 6-5. Jonathan Papelbon was forced into the game for a 5 out close attempt. The Phillies gave him 2 more runs to play with in the 9th and they walked away with an 8-5 victory.
Then today, Cole Hamels led the charge, pitching 8 innings with only 1 run allowed. For the first time in a long time, everything was clicking for the Phillies. Even without Chase Utley or Ryan Howard in the line-up, as it had been pretty much all year, they still scraped out 5 runs.
Carlos Ruiz normally sits for Sunday day games, but he has been so hot, manager Charlie Manuel had to play him. Chooch did not disappoint and went 2-for-4 with an RBI. He is now hitting an unbelievable .353…in the middle of July. Wow.
And Hunter Pence finally broke and 0-for-13 streak with a 3-run homer in the 5th inning. That had to be a huge relief for him.
Speaking of relief, no one was more relieved to have a little success than Antonio Bastardo. After allowing 5 runs in his last 2/3 of an inning pitched, Bastardo finally pitched a 1-2-3 inning using only 7 pitches, all strikes. That 9th inning performance may be the injection of life Bastardo has been looking for all season.
Now I do not mean to be a Debbie Downer here, but keep in mind, the Phillies just beat the 2nd worst team in the National League. The Dodgers are up next and that team is hanging right in there with the Giants for first place in the NL West. This will be a much bigger test for the Phillies.
The pitchers schedule to go against the Dodgers are in this order: Joe Blanton, Roy Halladay (his 1st start off the DL!) and Cliff Lee. This looks like a very solid opportunity for the Phillies if they can continue to build on this momentum.
Game time Monday night is 10:10pm (yikes!). Bust out the caffeine…
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Howard’s Return Spoiled in Loss to Braves
We all waited through 84 dreadful games to finally see the Phillies line-up back together again. Chase Utley came back and now, Ryan Howard is back. But game #85 with Howard, Utley and the old gang together was fun for about 2 or 3 innings. And then, reality set in.
Howard started off his 2012 season with a monster double to center field. Cheer rang out among fans excited to see the big man back again. But by the 3rd inning, we all began to wonder why the offense was still not getting it done.
The Phillies sprinkled 5 hits here and there, two of which were from Howard. The Braves did not have many hits either as Kyle Kendrick finally found his groove after his last regular start spot in the rotation was pushed back a few days. Maybe getting skipped finally gave Kendrick the incentive he needed to step up his game.
And he did just that; Kendrick was great through 7 innings. He allowed only 4 hits and did not give up a single run, even after getting into a tight spot in the 7th inning. But he did not get any run support from his teammates and then was pulled in the 8th in favor of Antonio Bastardo.
Bastardo was awful; he had no command and walked 3 batters, even walking a run home with the bases loaded and 2 outs. If I was managing this team, I’d have pulled him after the first 2 batters based on the season he has had so far and his obvious lack of control at that moment. But you know Charlie Manuel; he is going to stick with “his guy” until he gives up 5 runs, including a grand slam to Brian McCann.
And this exactly what happened. I am so tired of people going on about “roles” in the bullpen. This is my 8th inning guy, this is my middle-relief guy, etc… Because in the same breath, they will tell you that these guys are only human, not robots. That is correct. However, it totally contradicts the theory of bullpen roles.
If they are in fact human, then they are prone to having good days and bad days. If a guy is having a bad day, like Bastardo, then you use someone else, regardless of their “role!” Not to do so is counterproductive, detrimental to your team and gives the impression that the 8th inning guy (or whatever-inning guy) HAS to be a robot in order to succeed. And yet you have just stated he is NOT a robot. See my frustration with this?
Human beings are NOT made of metal; they are flexible. And as such, they should be flexible in their “roles.” Charlie also loves to talk about showing confidence in “his guys.” Well how much confidence do you think Bastardo has now after that disastrous outing?
Sometimes, you need to step in and save someone from themselves. Tell him, “Today is not your day. You’ll get them the next time.” That disappointment HAS to be better than the one that comes with allowing 5 runs in the 8th inning of a previously scoreless game, followed by getting chewed out on the bench by your pitching coach in front of everyone.
I have a lot of respect for Manuel and the way he manages. When things are going good, his style works very, very well. You can afford to let a guy go a little further. But when times are bad, like they are now, you have to adapt. And in my humble opinion, that is the part he is getting wrong right now. And this team, 13 games back in the NL East, cannot afford ANY wrong moves.
I still love ya, Charlie. But seriously, do “your guys” a favor and show some tough love. This team needs a swift kick in the rear, on all sides of the ball. And now we can only pray that it is not already too late.
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Player photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
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