Results tagged ‘ Charlie Manuel ’
Phillies Offense on Locke-Down
On Monday night, Phillies rookie Jonathan Pettibone made his major league debut against the Pirates. He went 5.1 innings and allowed only 2 runs after a fairly shaky start and some good defense. The Phillies offense put up 3 runs for the rookie, but two of those runs came from a wild pitch and a hit batter.
The lack of offense took another turn for the worse on Tuesday night. Cole Hamels pitched a great game, allowing 2 runs over 8 innings. But his teammates did nothing to help him. As a result of the 0-2 loss, Hamels still does not have a win this year. This is exactly what happened to Cliff Lee last year, who ended the season with only 6 wins, despite his 3.16 ERA.
There were only 4 hits for the Phillies last night. Pirates pitcher Jeff Locke had them all tied up in knots that they could not untangle. Sadly, it was a total Locke-Down.
For example, in the 4th inning, John Mayberry Jr. led off with a triple. Still, the Phillies managed to squander that opportunity as well. Not scoring a runner from 3rd with no outs to start the inning is ridiculous. But that has been the story of the Phillies offense for a number of years now, and it does not appear it will change anytime soon.
These guys get anxious at the plate, swing at bad pitches and watch good ones fly past them. There is no discipline at all.
Think about that 4th inning again. With no outs, Mayberry stood at 3rd and Domonic Brown on first after being hit by a pitch. Locke was getting wild and losing his command. So the only thing Ben Revere needed to do was not pop out or hit the ball the 3rd base side of the infield. Even a double play would have scored the run with Mayberry going on contact. So what does Revere do? He swings at the first pitch and hits the ball to third; Mayberry is thrown out at the plate.
This is not Mayberry’s fault either…Ryne Sandberg told him to go on contact which was verified by manager Charlie Manual after the game. As for Revere, remember he is only 24 years old. Clearly, he still has a lot to learn. But the same excuse cannot be made for the rest of the team. This is a very experienced ball club. Yet they continue to approach at-bats like frightened rookies.
When the only relief of the night is seeing bench player Laynce Nix step to the plate, something is very, very wrong.
The Phillies hired not one, but two new hitting coaches this season in an effort to improve the offense. And even though both Steve Henderson and Wally Joyner have gotten rave reviews from the players, nothing changes once a guy steps to the plate. Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Apparently not.
Pretty soon they will have a big offensive day again and the critics will be silent until the next several games when the bats go back to sleep again. This has become a pattern. They give us a small bit of hope, and just like that, the hope is squashed the very next day. I am seriously beginning to wonder if this is fixable.
In the meantime, all we can do is wait and see. Roy Halladay will pitch tonight; game time is 7:05pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
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
Are We Seriously Only Halfway Through Spring Training?
Is it just me, or is it taking forever to get to the regular season? I was excited when Spring Training began, because a little baseball is better than no baseball. But that excitement has waned slowly and transformed into impatience. Can we get to the real games already!
There is not much else in Philly to get excited about right now. The Flyers are good one day, and suck the next. They are in last place in their division. And the 76ers are all but out of playoff contention, unless a small miracle occurs. And no, that miracle will not be Andrew Bynum, who does not appear to have any desire to play this year. He will sit back and collect his massive paycheck.
Some people are excited about the Papal Conclave in Rome. I get it. I was just in Rome this past October; I took the whole 9-mile tour of the Vatican museums, St. Peter’s and the Sistine Chapel. It was an ethereal experience for sure. But unless the smoke coming out of that chapel chimney signals the start of the regular season, I don’t have much to get excited about.
They will pick a new pope. Some people will celebrate, some will complain and life will go on. But what I really need is some baseball!
I like Spring Training; it is a necessary part of baseball. But some things about it annoy me. Mainly, that it is 6-weeks long, the games don’t count and the fact that I am not in Florida right now. Ugh.
However, there have been a number of rather interesting incidents this spring. A Hooter’s ball girl screwed up and fielded a fair ball (not that interesting I guess; this happens every year); Charlie Manuel was accosted by a strange man on a tricycle at a game against the Astros; and several Phillies playing for Team Canada in the WBC brawled with Team Mexico this past Saturday. Apparently, Pete Orr was thrown out of the game. Tyson Gillies, who has a habit of finding trouble, body slammed a Red Sox pitcher who was playing for Mexico. And Phillies Sebastian Valle, who played for Mexico, swung his catcher’s helmet at opposing players, despite their being at least 3 of his Phillies teammates on Canada’s team. Oops.
So while Spring Training has not been dull, it is just not over yet! But we are half-way there and everyone, so far, is healthy (cross all fingers and toes)…3 weeks to go!
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Magic Moments of Phillies Spring Training
The first official Spring Training game for the Phillies will take place on Saturday. I am excited for baseball! But there is also a little sadness that I cannot be in Clearwater this year to enjoy the first crack of the bat under the warm Florida sunshine. If you are lucky enough to be heading south, enjoy it!
Spring Training is a magical moment in time where players are generally happy, relaxed and having a good time. The fan-friendly atmosphere and nice weather draws big crowds each year. And while the games are interesting, they really don’t mean much. The real reason to head to Clearwater is to mingle with other fans, chat with players, get autographs and photos and, most importantly, get a closer look at how major leaguers behave when their guard is down.
You may notice a lot of smiles, laughter and silly hijinks. To demonstrate, and also to get you in the Spring Training frame of mind, here are some of my favorite photos and moments from years past in Clearwater:
First up, the normally quiet and reserved Chase Utley laughs out loud and on another occasion, poses and smiles for me:
Jimmy Rollins waves hello and later attempts to play golf with his bat and ball:
Phillies alum Mike Schmidt has some fun with Reggie Jackson; Charlie Manuel jokes around with his players:
Remember Fan Fest? For some reason, the Phillies have cancelled this annual tradition of meeting players and getting autographs. But it was amazing while it lasted. Here are Chad Durbin and Kyle Kendrick signing and posing for me:
I attended a few Team USA games while in Clearwater. The most memorable moment was watching Jimmy Rollins and Derek Jeter of the Yankees field balls side-by-side during warm-ups. The second photo is Chooch, Carlos Ruiz, making an odd face at batting practice:
Here we have the Big Man, Ryan Howard, yucking it up on the field and later doing his impersonation of an airplane (or maybe he was just playing 1st base?):
And finally, just me and my camera hanging out by the field before batting practice. You can see how close fans can get to the field:
Are you ready to pack your bags yet? Wishing I was….sigh. Maybe next year :O)
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies 2013 New Year Resolutions
In what has become an annual tradition, I usually post New Year Resolutions for Phillies fans at about this time. But it seems that as a fan base, most of us do seem to have our act together. As for the 2012 Phillies team, the same cannot be said. They need some serious help.
So this year, I would like to propose a set of New Year Resolutions for the team instead:
Jimmy Rollins – I resolve to stop swinging for the fences and hitting pop-ups. I will stick to line-drives and grounders.
Roy Halladay, Chase Utley & Ryan Howard – We all resolve to be healthy, productive members of this team! No more bum shoulders, ankles or knees!
Kyle Kendrick – I will not mope when I feel disrespected and just keep pitching. I will put on my big-boy pants and wear them all year long.
Carlos Ruiz – My goal is to repeat my 2012 performance, without the performance-enhancing ADHD pills, thereby regaining the respect I lost after getting suspended.
Ben Revere – I resolve to hit my first major league home run in Citizens Bank Park. If Juan Pierre can hit a homer here, then so shall I!
Ruben Amaro Jr. – No matter how tempted I am to save money, I will not sign former Phillies relief pitcher Ugueth Urbina. Yes, he paid his debt to society. However, he did attempt to murder 5 ranch hands by setting them on fire and chopping at them with a machete. Perhaps we should pass on this one.
Domonic Brown – I resolve to reach my full potential this year and prove I belong in the big leagues, preferably by May.
Mike Adams – I resolve to be fully recovered from surgery and return to my All-Star relief-pitcher form in order to be deemed worthy of my giant $12 million contract.
Charlie Manuel – I will go out on top this year! World Series or bust…
I wish you all a safe and happy New Year!
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The Phillies Night Before Christmas 2012
The Phillies Night Before Christmas
Twas the night before Christmas, when all over the field,
Not a player was stirring, as the 2012 season had been sealed.
The bats were stacked in the clubhouse with care,
In hopes that a Championship soon would be there.
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The Phillies were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of trophies danced in their heads.
And Charlie with his new line-up tucked under his cap,
Had just settled down for a long off-season nap.
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When outside of his house, there arose such a clatter,
Charlie sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window he stumbled, half asleep,
Having woke from a nightmare of his bullpen being taken deep.
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The moonlight lit up the old ‘08 trophy, causing it to glow,
Giving the illusion of a night game on the grass down below.
When what to his wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh filled with ballplayers in good cheer.
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With his General Manager and ace pitchers in tow,
He knew in a moment it must be Ruben Amaro.
More rapid than the trade deadline, forward they all came,
And he grumbled, and shouted, and called them by name!
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“Now, Hamels! Now, Howard! Now, Rollins and Utley!
On, Brown! On, Halladay! On, Papelbon and Lee!
To the top of the National League! To the top of them all!
Now run away! Run away! And play some baseball!”
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And then, in a twinkling, Charlie heard, “You The Man!”
From the shouting and cheering of each happy fan.
As he drew in his head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney, Ryan Howard came with a bound.
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He was dressed all in pinstripes, from his head to his foot,
Having tossed his old ankle brace, which was tarnished, with ashes and soot.
But he arrived with a smile and Charlie gave him a pat on his back,
Surely the fully healed Achilles would put him right back on track.
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Howard spoke many words, and after tightening his shoe lace,
He welcomed Michael Young, who will now man third base.
And with thunderous joy, the fans clapped their hands,
With a few shiny new toys, 2013 is sure to be grand!
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Howard then sprang to the sleigh, and to his team gave a call,
“You guys are the best ballplayers of all!”
But Charlie heard him exclaim, as he drove out of sight,
“Happy Holiday’s to all and to all a good night!”
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Photoshopping and re-wording by Jenn Zambri Photography
Loss to Braves Kills Phillies Playoff Hopes
While they are not “officially” out of it yet, the Phillies have dropped to 5 games out of the Wild Card race after 2 straight losses to the Braves. With 4 teams in front of them and only 9 games to go, the Phillies playoff hopes are all but dead.
On the mound today, Cliff Lee put forward a valiant effort, working in and out of trouble throughout the game. Despite his many challenges, he kept the Phillies in striking distance. Lee struck out 11 and allowed only 1 earned run over 8 innings. But the offense did little to help him.
Tim Hudson is a great pitcher, but the Phillies made him look totally unhittable. John Mayberry Jr. and Kevin Frandsen accounted for the only hits in the game for the Phils; yes, 2 hits…total. The only run they scored involved a walk to Jimmy Rollins, a Braves error, a sac bunt and a sac fly.
The sun was quite an issue today as well as clouds rolled in and out over the ballpark. Some plays in the field were solid, and others looked a bit complicated as the shadows wreaked havoc.
And then there was a little controversy over whether or not Frandsen was out of the box when he bunted. He was called out and manager Charlie Manuel apparently thought holding the umpires hand might help his cause:
Or maybe not…
So the Phillies went on to lose the game by a score of 2-1, all but eliminating their playoff hopes.
Here is the full Photo Album from the game.
And the only good news of the day…I won a signed Cole Hamels bat in the Sunday Season Ticket holder Fan Appreciation Day event! Whoo hoo!
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Howard’s 300th; One Win and a Loss Against the Braves
The Phillies won their 4th straight game Friday night in the opener against the Braves that included a pre-game salute to Chipper Jones. Jones will retire after 19 years with the Braves after this season. The Phillies gave Jones a painting of one of many home runs he hit in Citizens Bank Park.
Jones received a number of salutes while the Braves traveled to away games this year. And to thank the Phillies, Jones went 0-for-4 in the home teams’ 6-2 win over his Braves. Thanks, Larry. And Happy Retirement ;o)
However, the tables were turned on Saturday afternoon. The Braves found their bats and Roy Halladay hit another brick wall. Clearly, not all is well with Halladay as he claims. He has had only a few good starts since coming off the DL; the rest have been very un-Doc like.
This afternoon, Halladay did not even make it through 2 innings. His final line had 7 earned runs in 1.2 innings on 5 hits and 3 walks. It was ugly. Charlie Manuel looked on in disbelief before he finally ran out to the mound to lift Doc from the game.
With the Cardinals win today, the Phillies could ill afford any more losses. But the offense was weak today against the Braves pitching. The only excitement came when Ryan Howard hit a milestone home run; it was the 300th of his career, putting him in 2nd place behind Mike Schmidt all time for the Phillies.
Howard has now hit a home run in 4 straight games. Seeing his bat wake up again is a pleasant site. However, the Phillies are still in a dire situation as far as the playoffs are concerned. The loss today knocks them back to 4 games out of the Wild Card behind 3 other teams with only 10 games to go.
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Howard head shot by Jenn Zambri Photography
The Chase’s Are Wild as Phillies Trump the Fish
The Wild Card chase is back on for the Phillies who have won 6 in a row. They now sit only 4 games out of a potential playoff spot. The other Chase, that being Chase Utley, is starting to look like the guy we all remember. Despite a costly error in the game against the Marlins, Utley went 3-for-3 last night with 2 walks and an RBI. He reached base in all 5 of his at-bats.
Juan Pierre also continues to produce; he also had 3 hits in the game, plus an RBI. And Jimmy Rollins took advantage of a huge error by the Marlins catcher who dropped what appeared to be Jimmy’s 5,000th or so pop-up this year. Ok, maybe I exaggerate…but J-Roll followed the dropped pop-up with a 2-run homer on the next pitch. Rollins ended the night with 3 RBI on 2 hits.
But as the runs continued to pour in, Phillies pitchers continued to give them right back. Roy Halladay did not look great again, allowing 5 runs in 6 ½ innings while walking 3 batters. Just when it looks like Halladay is doing well again, he has a game like this.
But the bullpen was not much better. Manager Charlie Manuel had to use 4 pitchers to get though the 7th inning as it seemed no one wanted to get the final out. Halladay and the pen combined to allow 4 runs that inning.
In the bottom of the 7th, things got progressively weirder. After Rollins collected his 3rd RBI of the night, the Marlins manager apparently suffered a momentary lapse of reason. Ozzie Guillen, already considered one of the strangest men in baseball, made yet another move to solidify his crazy-man reputation. He ordered an intentional walk of Kevin Frandsen to pitch to Utley instead.
To break it down, Guillen decided he wanted to pitch to a guy who already had 3 hits in the game instead of a guy with a stress fracture in his left leg. Forget the left-handed, right-handed theory; a broken leg VS. 3-for-3…and broken leg won. Wow. Utley wound up walking as well and no damage was done, but that was a seriously weird chain of events.
The 9-7 put the Phillies back at the .500 mark for the season so far. That is a small miracle considering how bad most of the season has gone. Could a large miracle be in the works? It is a long-shot, but if the Phillies keep winning, who knows?
Game 3 with the Marlins starts early today at 4:05pm. Let’s go for the sweep!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
9th Inning Walk-Off Gives Phillies a Win Over the Rockies
The start of Friday night’s Phillies game against the Rockies was painful to watch. Cliff Lee did not start off very well, allowing 2 runs on 3 hits in the 1st inning. Michael Martinez made an error at 3rd base, which extended the inning. In all, not a great beginning.
But Lee settled down after the 1st inning snafu. However, the Phillies offense seemed content to keep blowing opportunities. Ty Wigginton got a rare start at 1st base, but the rust from sitting on the bench was very apparent. He struck out in all 3 at-bats, twice when there was 1 out and a runner on 3rd base. Worse, Juan Pierre was on base both times and managed to steal 2 base the second time around. Still, Wigginton could not get the runs home.
Clearly not his night, manager Charlie Manuel decided to pinch hit for Wigginton in the 7th. That move proved to be a momentum changer as Laynce Nix smashed a 2-run double to tie the score. Then 4 bullpen guys held the lead from the 7th to the 9th inning, giving the Phillies a chance to win.
In the bottom of the 9th, Jimmy Rollins worked out a lead-off walk and Pierre, already with 3 hits on the night, put down a sacrifice bunt to move the runner over. The Rockies intentionally walked Chase Utley and Nate Schierholtz stepped to the plate as a pinch hitter. A wild pitch moved Rollins to 3rd and Schierholtz then singled to right, scoring Rollins for the walk-off win.
This has been a tough year for Schierholtz who got traded here from the Giants mid-season, giving him hope of more playing time and a chance to prove himself. But a broken toe sidelined him in mid-August, just as he was getting comfortable in the line-up. Schierholtz was activated off the DL on September 1st and had not had a hit since returning until last night. That walk-off single had to be quite a relief for him.
The Phillies have two more games with the Rockies; Cole Hamels will pitch tonight and then Tyler Cloyd on Sunday. I will be attending both games and hope to return with some photos if the weather cooperates. Game time tonight is 7:05pm.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
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