Results tagged ‘ Chase Utley ’
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.
“LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
11th Inning Walk-Off Gives Phillies a Series Split with the Reds
It took a torrential downpour to start the game, 4 runs, 11 innings and 4 ½ hours, but the Phillies finally pulled off a win against the Reds for a series split. The win also vaulted them into 3rd place in the division. Imagine being happy about 3rd place back in April…this has been a crazy year.
One person who was not happy about the rain to start the game was Cole Hamels. He stated after the game, “We have these things called radar detectors and if you can’t read them correctly I don’t know what’s going on.” After getting into trouble and allowing a run in the 1st while it poured, Hamels was probably having bad flashbacks to Game 5 of the 2008 World Series. Officials did not call that game until after Hamels relinquished 2 runs to tie the game due in part to the sloppy field conditions.
But that game turned out pretty well, although not until several days later. The start of Thursday’s game was not delayed as it should have been, so his frustration is easy to understand. But the extra-inning affair also worked out in the end. Hamels went 6 innings and allowed 3 runs.
The offense had some issues as well. It looked like no one could hit Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto until the 6th inning when the Phils finally scored 2 runs. But once they got the game tied up at 3-3, things got every stranger.
The Phillies started getting on base, but there appear to be a brick wall at 3rd base that no one could pass. In both the 8th and 9th innings, the Phillies had the bases loaded with only 1 out and did not score. In the 9th Domonic Brown hit into a double play to end the inning, adding to the frustration. They left 2 men on base with 1 out in the 10th as well. In all, the Phillies stranded 16 runners and went only 4-14 with runners in scoring position.
Throughout those many irritating innings though, the bullpen did an excellent job of holding the Reds at bay. 5 pitchers went 5 scoreless innings, including Phillippe Aumont who made his major league debut. He tossed a scoreless 8th inning.
Aumont had been called up to replace Jeremy Horst who was on paternity leave. But Horst returned, and also pitched, last night. Aumont stayed and instead, Michael Schwimer was very quietly sent back to Triple-A. So it appears the Phillies will get a longer look at Aumont to see what he can do.
With the bullpen’s solid effort, the table was set yet again for the Phillies in the 11th inning. Finally, someone got a hit with the bases loaded. John Mayberry Jr. singled to left to score Chase Utley for the walk-off victory. After the game, Charlie Manuel expressed his frustration about all the previously stranded runners by saying, “I feel drained. Really. I kept waiting for somebody to come home.” Everyone laughed, which is certainly a lot easier when you have won the game.
And now the 1st place Nationals come to town. There is just something very wrong about that previous sentence…sigh. Game time tonight is 7:05pm.
“LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Two-Straight Complete Game Shut-Outs for Hamels
After a couple of shaky starts after signing a huge contract, Cole Hamels is in the zone again. Last night marked the second straight complete game shut-out for the lefty with a 4-0 win over the Miami Marlins.
Hamels tossed 113 pitches, 85 of them for strikes. He allowed 7 hits and 1 walk, but no Marlin even crossed home plate. While playoff hopes for the Phillies are all but dashed, Hamels could still be in line for another big prize if he continues to pitch at this pace: the Cy Young award.
This ace already has a World Series ring, a World Series and a NLCS MVP award plus 3 All-Star nods. All Hamels has left to accomplish is the Cy Young…and of course, one more World Series ring.
Supporting their teammate, the Phillies offense produced 4 runs, which was plenty considering how Hamels was pitching. Juan Pierre had another 3-hit night, including a triple and an RBI. Domonic Brown, John Mayberry Jr. and Kevin Fransden had 2 hits each while Chase Utley and Erik Kratz both knocked in one run each.
As for the bullpen…there was no bullpen as Hamels went all 9 innings. This could be the best bullpen performance all year long! Way to sit on the bench guys; nicely done. With the way this year has gone, I am sure the relievers were as relieved with this turn of events as anyone.
The Phillies have another shot at the Fish tonight. Kyle Kendrick, despite being awful lately, will get yet another chance at being a real starter. This is beginning to feel like Pinocchio trying to be a real boy…it’s never going to happen. I could be wrong; what do you think? Will Kendrick ever be consistent enough to be a starter? Feel free to leave comments below.
Game time is 7:10pm.
“LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Walk-Off In Extras Nails Series Win for Phillies
The Phillies annual Alumni Weekend came to an end today with a huge series win against the World Champion Cardinals. The 11-inning, 8-7 walk-off win was the cherry on top of a great weekend at Citizen’s Bank Park.
Vance Worley took the mound again, despite needing elbow surgery for bone chips. The injury appears to be taking a toll on the Vanimal who struggled again, going 5 1/3 innings with 4 runs allowed.
The Phillies offense started off strong with 3 runs in the 1st on a triple from Chase Utley. In the 4th, Ryan Howard added a solo homer. But each time the Phils scored, the Cardinals answered and they took a 4-4 tie into the 8th.
With 3 errors in the game, the Phillies still had some nice defensive plays, and others that fell short. The play at the plate below where Matt Holiday is called safe was a real bummer:
More disappointment was to follow as Michael Schwimer turned a 4-4 game into a 7-4 deficit for the Phils in the 8th, allowing the 3 runs on 3 hits and a walk.
But just when it looked like the game was over, Erik Kratz got up to his new-old tricks again. With 2 runners on and 2 outs in the bottom of the 8th, he smashed a home run to left to tie the game up again.
But Kratz was not done yet… In the 11th, he started off the inning with a double. Sadly, the double was erased when Jimmy Rollins, who had the day off prior pinch hitting in the 8th, hit into a fielder’s choice. J-Roll later redeemed himself by stealing 3rd, which turned out to be the key to winning the game. Juan Pierre hustled down the 1st base line to beat out an infield single which scored Rollins for the walk-off win!
Pierre has been one of the few bright spots for the Phillies this year. It is hard to imagine not resigning him in the offseason, but that drama will play out later…
As for the Alumni in attendance, they had a lot of fun, especially Mike Schmidt who shot hot dogs into the crowd. You will have to see it to believe it:
There were many other appearances as well, including John Kruk announcing the line-ups, Dick Allen and Tony Taylor changing bases, and eight former Phillies, including Larry Andersen, Gary Matthews, Ricky Jordan, Ricky Botallico and Von Hayes singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” on the field during the seventh-inning stretch.
Botallico, always an amazing sport, even wore the Phanatic’s jersey to entertain the crowd.
Here is the full Photo Album from the game.
“LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
The Doc Operates on the Red Birds
It seems like a very long time since we have seen a really good Phillies game. But with Roy Halladay on the mound last night looking like the ace that he is, it felt like old times again.
After a year of struggles and injury, Halladay appears to be at 100% finally. Against the World Champion Cardinals Friday night, he pitched 8 innings and allowed only 2 hits, one of which was a solo homer. That would be the only run of the night for the Cards.
The Phillies are in the process of finding out exactly what they have for next year. Halladay’s performance was a huge boost in that regard. They also tooled around in the outfield, moving guys here and there like a roulette wheel to see which one might hit the jackpot.
As a result, Nate Schierholtz played center field for the first time in his MLB career. Domonic Brown started in right and then both guys got shuffled around later in the game. Even with all the changes, everyone held their own pretty well.
Brown knocked in the first run for the Phillies with a single in the second that scored Ryan Howard. The other 2 runs scored on an 8th inning 2-run homer from Chase Utley. He hit the ball so hard it went into the upper deck of the bullpen in center field. It looks like Utley has also found his groove again.
The pitching was excellent for both teams, but the Utley homer won the game for the Phillies who walked away with a 3-1 victory. Game 2 starts tonight at 7:05pm. Cliff Lee will pitch and try to keep pace with the Doc’s amazing performance.
And a quick congratulations to former catcher Mike Lieberthal who was inducted into the Phillies Wall of Fame last night! Lieby looked both humbled and honored as he accepted the award and thanked the fans for their support. Congrats to him…a well deserved honor!
“LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Howard Turns Boos to Cheers in Walk-Off Win
Since returning after spending half the season on the DL, Ryan Howard has not had much luck getting his bat going. He struck out 3 times in today’s Phillies - Diamondbacks game and each time, the boos got louder. But in the 9th, Howard would redeem himself with a walk-off single to hand the Phillies a 5-4 victory and the series win.
Prior to that, Howard was not the only one hearing the boo birds. Cliff Lee had a rough 2nd inning where he gave up back-to back homers to guys at the bottom of the D-Backs line-up. His battery mate, Erik Kratz, tried to help him out with 2 hits and an RBI in the game, but Lee is becoming notorious for these odd ups and downs.
In case you missed it, catcher Carlos Ruiz is on the DL with a partial tear due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. So we will be seeing a lot of Kratz in the next 4-6 weeks.
The rest of the team sprinkled some offense here and there. Chase Utley smashed a solo homer in the 5th. And Domonic Brown went 2-for-4, which is a very good sign.
Brown also took flight on his way to 2nd base for a double. It is not a bird or a plane, it is Super-Dom:
The Phillies also took advantage of D-Backs errors while managing to avoid most of their own recent blunders.
A run scored in the 8th to tie the game, which was the result of a D-Backs throwing error. That set up the walk-off from Howard in the 9th. Here is the full Photo Album from the game.
Tomorrow the Braves come to town, and although the Phillies have little to play for right now, a little revenge from the sweep last week may be in order. Vance Worley will pitch; game time is 7:05pm.
“LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Go From Minor Problems to Major Ones
In yesterday’s 2-1 loss, the Phillies looked either unable or unwilling to deal with Braves pitcher Mike Minor. The only Phillies run was a solo shot from Chase Utley. They also committed 2 errors in yet another game.
The near-comatose effort, careless swings and lack of hustle have gone from being a minor issue to a major one.
Just ask manager Charlie Manuel. He told reporters, “Our team, we used to – and I hate to say ‘used to’ – we did things different,” Manuel said. “A lot of that contributed to our success. People do change. Success changes people. Money definitely changes people. You have to be able to see those things, too. I’m not singling out one person. I’m talking about a team.”
It is interesting to finally hear the manager say what the rest of us have been thinking all season long. This is also why many doubted whether getting injured players back, like Utley and Ryan Howard, would make any real difference. Because if the good attitude and the hustle are not there, it doesn’t matter who they throw out onto the field. And that is exactly what we are witnessing now.
These 2 losses against the Braves are probably going to push GM Ruben Amaro Jr. to pull the trigger on some trades in the next few days. The Phillies are too far behind to catch up now as they sit 11.5 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot and 15.5 out of 1st with 61 games to go.
If that happens and the team really shuts down, it will be a truly sad sight to behold. Because even if they have nothing else to play for, you would hope they might have enough pride left to at least attempt to finish strong. All we can do is hope that they choose the high road and try to improve for next season.
“LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Player photos 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.
“LIKE” us on Facebookfor more updates & photos!
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Together Again, Phillies Sluggers Turn Back Time
After a very unusual start to the 1st inning in last night’s Phillies and Brewers match-up, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard reunited in a way that appeared to turn time back to better days. They went back-to-back with solo home runs and just that quickly, it was like old times again. Ah, together again…
In fact most of this previously lame Phillies squad is back off the DL and as a result, they are starting to turn things around. Last night’s walk-off win was the second in row for the Phillies and also their first comeback win when trailing after 8 innings this season. Prior to this, they were 0-42 when losing after 8 innings.
This game began in a very odd way though. Roy Halladay was not his normal, studley self. He gave up 2 runs in the first inning before Howard and Utley countered with their solo blasts.
Even stranger was what happened to Shane Victorino before those home runs. Ex-Phillies pitcher Randy Wolf hit Victorino in the funny bone with a pitch; because he turned his shoulder to in an attempt to get out of the way, the 1st base umpire apparently got confused and called him out on strikes. Replay showed that Victorino came nowhere near to swinging at the pitch.
Both Victorino, in obvious pain, and manager Charlie Manuel argued his case to no avail. Once again, an idiot umpire would cost the Phillies a base runner and, after the homers, it cost them an extra run. Even worse, Victorino’s hand went numb after the hit to the elbow and he had to be removed from the game. He says he is fine now and should be able to play tonight; the ball just struck a nerve in the wrong place.
The umpire idiocy did not end there either. Howard’s obvious solo shot was initially ruled a double after the ball bounced back onto the field out of the left field flower beds. They had to go to replay to get the call overturned. But it was quite apparent to the naked eye that the ball left the yard. I guess the umpire went temporarily blind; an affliction which seems to be contagious. And all that happened in the first inning.
By the 4th inning, things were getting out of hand as Halladay continued to self-destruct and allowed 4 more runs for a 6-2 Phillies deficit. But for the second day in a row, the bullpen came through and held the score there. And that set up the Phillies 1st comeback win after 8 innings all season long.
With 1 out in the 9th, the Phillies were still 4 runs behind and down to their final 2 outs when suddenly, the clock turned backwards again. The Phillies offense began channeling their 2008 selves. Jimmy Rollins drew a walk followed by a Juan Pierre single. Utley walked; Howard singled in 2 runs; Carlos Ruiz singled in another and Hunter Pence followed with another walk.
With still only 1 out in the inning and a man on third, all the Phillies needed was a sac fly. Most of the year, the Phillies have been unable to accomplish this seemingly routine task. But on this throwback night, Ty Wigginton summoned his inner super-Wigginess and sent a line drive to left which scored pinch-runner Erik Kratz.
And just like that, the Phillies have found themselves on the comeback trail. Like J-Roll said after Sunday’s win, it is time to start streaking…
“LIKE” us on Facebookfor more updates & photos!
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.
“LIKE” us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Phollowers
Recent Comments