Results tagged ‘ Cole Hamels ’
Hamels Returns to Help Phillies Win Series
The 5-game suspension Cole Hamels received for smacking Nationals rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch last week turned out to be sort of a joke. With the off day on Thursday, the Phillies were able to rearrange the rotation, pitching Roy Halladay yesterday and Hamels today. So as it turns out, Hamels did not even miss a start.
And the Phillies are sure glad he did not. Hamels was solid in the 3-2 win over the Padres, allowing just 1 run and 5 hits over 7 innings.
The offense was a little stale, as usual, but they managed 3 runs. This time, that turned out to be enough. Jimmy Rollins got it started in the 1st with a leadoff homer. Brian Schneider gave Carlos Ruiz most of the day off and helped out with 2 hits and an RBI. Juan Pierre collected 2 hits, 1 RBI and continues to be the Phillies best hitter with a .351 average. I am not sure anyone saw that coming when he won a spot on the team out of spring training. But we’ll take it.
Hunter Pence, on the other hand, continues to struggle. Pence looks lost at the plate. He is still swinging at bad pitches, although he showed a little more patience today. But he is pulling off balls; his body goes one way and the bat goes another way…it is very awkward. And it is more awkward than his usual approach, which is almost hard to believe.
The bullpen finally held a lead in this one, although Jose Contreras did give up a run in the 8th making the situation very tenuous. But Antonio Bastardo got him out of the inning without further damage. And Jonathan Papelbon finally got to pitch for a save; it was his first save attempt since May 1st.
Before the game, the Phillies celebrated Mother’s Day. Pierre’s mom, wife and son were greeted on the field and Pierre coddled and played with the infant, which was adorable.
And luckily, the warm fuzzies before the game translated into a win as the Phillies took 2 of 3 from the Padres.
The schedule for the remainder of May gets a little weird now. The Phils will play 2 against the Astros then fly to Chicago for 2 games with the Cubs and return home again to face the Red Sox and Nationals before hitting the road again. Game 1 with the Astros starts at 7:05pm Monday night.
Here is the full Photo Album from today’s game and pre-game warm-up’s and ceremonies.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Dead Last
I am not sure which word in my article title is more disturbing; “dead” or “last.” If you haven’t looked at the NL East standings lately, take a moment to prepare yourself for the worst. The Phillies are dead last and the only team in the division that is playing under .500 baseball.
At the start of the year, we all figured they might snap out of it but that is just not happening. They just plain suck. And that fact was no more evident than last night against the Mets in a 7-4 loss after leading by 4 runs at the start of the game.
Here is what we have learned about this Phillies team recently: They cannot hold a lead. The bullpen stinks. The offense is schizophrenic; you never know what might happen next. Wikipedia defines schizophrenia as “…disorganized speech and thinking, and it is accompanied by significant social or occupational dysfunction.” That about sums it up.
The Phillies took a quick 4-run lead in this game, thanks in part to a Hunter Pence 2-run homer. John Mayberry Jr. had 2 hits and is starting to find his swing. But that is where the good new ends.
Joe Blanton left the game with 2 outs in the 7th inning and 2 runners on base. Then Chad Qualls punched him in the gut by allowing both runs to score. Adding to the disaster, Pete Orr botched a play at second base, which led to the Mets to taking a 5-4 lead.
Late in games, a one run deficit seems almost impossible to overcome for this team. So as if that were not bad enough, reliever Michael Schwimer added 2 more Mets runs in the 8th. That was the nail in the coffin.
You could not even change channels last night for some relief. The Flyers lost and were ousted from the playoffs. The Sixers lost and have to play again on Thursday. There was no escape…it was a very bad day for Philly sports.
But the drama continues tonight as the Phillies will attempt to salvage one lousy game from the lousy Mets. Ugh. Cliff Lee will come off the DL and pitch starting at 7:05pm…he is our only hope for a win :O(
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The Downhill Trend
Things have been headed steadily downhill for the Phillies this season. A loss to the Mets last night by a 5-2 score simply added emphasis to that fact. Roy Halladay had a solid start, allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings. But the offense left 10 men on base and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
In a tie game in the 9th, closer Jonathan Papelbon gave up a 3-run homer to a rookie, Mike Nickeas. It was his first major league hit. You cannot pin the loss on Papelbon, however, I am tired of the excuses for closers in a non-save situation.
I understand the mental part of the game, the lack of adrenaline in a non-save situation, yada, yada, yada… Whatever. But for the amount of money these guys get paid, I personally feel I could overcome any mental obstacle thrown my way. These guys want an adrenaline boost? Tell them to look in their checkbooks before taking the mound. That would certainly fire me up.
Before the game, Cole Hamels was suspended 5 games for hitting Nationals rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch and then admitting he did it on purpose. Let me get this out of the way: Hamels was honest, but it was the wrong thing to do for his team. Entertaining maybe, but still wrong.
However, as wrong as he was, many others added to the pile of wrong-doing afterwards as well. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo blasted Hamels saying, “I’ve never seen a more classless, gutless chicken [bleep] act in my 30 years in baseball.” Really? Isn’t publically calling someone a classless, gutless chicken via the media just as classless and gutless? Be a man and tell it Hamels’ face. Rizzo is just as “fake tough” as he proposed Hamels is.
And how about the retaliation when pitcher Jordan Zimmermann hit Hamels with a pitch? Was that not also childish, classless and gutless? Zimmermann refused to admit he did it on purpose, so he did not get suspended. But everyone involved knows the truth.
These guys are like children in a sandbox. And all of them are wrong. Their mama’s must have missed out on teaching them some important lessons.
So just for fun, here is the conversation I imagine between Hamels & Rizzo, spoken solely in “old school” parental clichés:
Hamels: If you keep frowning, your face will get stuck like that!
Rizzo: This is going to hurt me more than it’s going to hurt you.
Hamels: If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.
Rizzo: You bit off more than you can chew.
Hamels: No use crying over spilt milk.
Rizzo: One bad apple spoils the bunch.
Hamels: You are full of piss and vinegar.
Rizzo: Revenge is a meal best served cold.
Hamels: Two wrongs don’t make a right.
Rizzo: What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.
Hamels: Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Goodbye.
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Hamels Hammers Nats
The Phillies were in serious need of a win last night after dropping the first two games of the series with the Nationals. And they had exactly the man on the mound who could get the job done.
Through eight innings, Cole Hamels allowed only one run on five hits. He also showed his team he wasn’t afraid to get his delicate hands dirty by drilling rookie Bryce Harper with a pitch in the 1st inning. After the game, Hamels told the media, “I was trying to hit him.” Hamels was not looking to injure, but the message was sent.
Of course, Harper sent a message of his own by stealing home that same inning, which was the only run the Nats would score. Then Hamels was hit with a pitch in his first at-bat in retaliation, which Hamels fully expected.
In addition to the hit by pitch, Hamels also earned a walk and a single in the game, doing damage at the plate as well as from the mound. He could be seen in the dugout between innings laughing and joking with teammates.
The lighter mood finally rubbed off on his teammates who scored 3 runs in the 4th and then exploded with 6 runs in the 9th. Placido Polanco lead the team with 3 hits and Hunter Pence collected 4 RBI on 2 home runs, finally showing some power.
The Nats “Take back the Park” campaign wound up being a big joke. Phillies fans still showed up in droves. At least in the final game, they were rewarded for their efforts.
Another downer for the Nats was watching ex-Phillie Jayson Werth go down with a broken wrist in last night’s game. It is the same wrist that Werth injured back in 2005 that almost ended his career. Werth will be out for at least 6 weeks and miss the May 21-23 rematch with the Phils.
The Mets are up next, starting tonight at 7:05pm in Philly. Welcome home, Phils!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Nagging Nats Pound the Phillies
As if Friday night’s gut wrenching loss was not enough, the Phillies stunk up Nationals park again today. With only 5 hits in the game, the lone RBI came off a sac fly from Carlos Ruiz in the 4th inning. If you fell asleep after that, you missed nothing.
By the 5th inning, I found myself wishing I had taken a nap instead as pitcher Vance Worley had his first really bad outing of the year. The Nats pounded him for 5 runs on 11 hits and 2 walks over 6 innings. The worst damage was done by former Phillie Jayson Werth who touched Worley up for a 3-run homer. Werth sure did look a lot better in a Phillies uniform…
Joe Savery added 2 more runs in the 7th as the Nats kept on hitting. Gio Gonzalez pitched for the Nationals and went 7 innings allowing just the one run. Gonzalez is a former Phillies prospect that got traded away for Freddy Garcia before the 2007 season. We all know how that trade worked out…Garcia won a single game and sat out the rest of the year enjoying the $10 million the Phillies paid him.
As most of us suspected earlier this season, the Phillies are in real trouble here. Now 5.5 games behind the Nationals, if they fall too far behind, they may never recover. And the Nats show no signs of going away anytime soon.
Game 3 starts at 8:05pm Sunday night. Cole Hamels will pitch.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Offense Finally on a Roll…
In the last two games, the Phillies have scored a total of 15 runs. Since the start of the season, it did not look like that sort of run production was ever going to happen. But Wednesday’s 7-2 win over the Diamondbacks may actually signal the awakening of this offense.
Cole Hamels certainly helped the situation with another great start, putting the Phillies in position to win. Through 8 strong innings, Hamels allowed only 2 runs on 4 hits and struck out 7 batters. He also lit things up at the plate with a 2-run single in the 6th inning.
This game was a real team effort, with everyone in the line-up contributing, even if it was just a sacrifice to move runners. The biggest stand-out though was Placido Polanco who looked like the player of old. He was on base after every at bat with 3 hits, 2 walks and an RBI.
Carlos Ruiz also had a 3-hit game and Hunter Pence collected 2 hits. Now if the Phillies can just get Jimmy Rollins going, this might actually be a descent line-up again.
Thursday is an off-day with a 4-game home series beginning with the Cubs on Friday. You know what the cure for a suffering offense is? That’s right…the Cubs. Cross your fingers…
Injury Updates:
As you may have heard, relief pitcher Mike Stutes is on the DL. He has not looked the like the vibrant pitcher he was since about the final month of last season. While this is concerning, his replacement, Michael Schwimer looked very sharp in Wednesday’s win.
As for Ryan Howard, he is still taking it easy. But his wound is finally healing which means he may be able to start real baseball activity within the next week.
And my favorite topic of discussion, Chase Utley: Reportedly, Utley is feeling no knee pain while batting and some pain while fielding. He took batting practice in Arizona with the team and many were encouraged by his swing. However, here is a word of caution about all the optimism…
As a person with chronic knee issues, worse that what Utley has, I can tell you this; I also feel no pain while swinging a bat…ok, in my knees at least ;o) The joint rotation does not bother me. However, running and anything involving impact, like chasing ground balls, is a whole other story.
I have not been able to play serious baseball since I was 16 years old after blowing out both my knees. But it was not because I could not still hit; it was because I could not run. All these years later, I can still hit, but I still cannot run and never will. Are you following my thought process here?
Granted, I have worse issues that Utley. But my point is, yes, he looks good hitting. But the real test will be impact movements, like running. The fact that Utley still has some pain while fielding is not a good sign. Running is generally more strenuous than fielding due to the repetition of the impact on the knees. So if it is hard to field, running will only make that worse.
I am a huge Chase Utley fan and I would love nothing more than to see him get better and back to his old self. However, all of this makes me very nervous. If he comes back too early, he can do more damage to his knees. But we all want him to come back sooner than later and I am sure he does as well.
So be optimistic; but be cautiously optimistic.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
Phillies Find Runs in Arizona
After 3 straight ugly losses, the Phillies finally found some runs in the Arizona desert against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday night. Like a dying man searching for water, each player drug his tired body to the plate and kept trying until they succeeded.
The offensive outburst included 8 runs with 3 home runs, a double and a triple. That is a far cry from the pitiful one-run or no run games the Phillies have been producing lately. But the question now is, was this run explosion the real deal or just a desert mirage?
A quick look at the stats show the Phillies are not out of trouble just yet. For example, Jimmy Rollins went hitless…again. And half of the Phillies hits and 5 of 8 RBI’s were collected by bench players. Laynce Nix had a huge night with 2 hits and 3 RBI, including a home run; and Pete Orr went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI.
But some of the regulars stepped up as well. Hunter Pence missed the last game with a sore shoulder. But on Tuesday night, he smashed a 2-run homer. Maybe he should hurt his shoulder more often? Ok, maybe not…
As for the pitching, Vance Worley was spectacular again. He went 6 innings allowing only 1 run. The bullpen, on the other hand, had some issues. Jose Contreras bombed in the 7th, allowing 3 runs right after the Phillies had a 3-run inning. That is the equivalent of a mortal sin in bullpen terms.
Then in the 8th, Chad Qualls committed the same sin, allowing one run after the Phillies had just scored one in the top of the inning. It was the first run Qualls has allowed so far this year, so he is forgiven ;o)
Regardless, a win is a win and this one was HUGE for a struggling team that is trying to dig themselves out of a hole early in the season. Game 3 with the D-Backs is early today; 3:40pm. Cole Hamels will pitch.
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Hamels Wins as Phillies Find Their Offense
When Cole Hamels allowed two runs in the first inning of today’s game, you could almost hear the collective, “Here we go again…” spilling from the minds of everyone present at the ballpark. But as it turned out, that was all the Mets would score for the entire game.
In 7 innings, Hamels collected 10 strikeouts and allowed just 6 hits and one walk. The defense stayed strong behind him as well.
Now all the Phillies needed was some offense, which has not been easy to come by recently. And through the first 6 innings, things were not looking good. But in the 7th, Jimmy Rollins and Hunter Pence hit back-to-back singles and then advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch.
And then, a small miracle occurred. Ty Wiggington hit a long sac fly to score Rollins and tie the game 2-2. And then Laynce Nix doubled in Pence. This was monumental on a number of levels. First, the Phillies had not seen an extra-base hit since Friday. Also, it was Nix’s first hit as a Phillie. Whew! Bet he was glad that is out of the way.
Once the Phillies took the 3-2 lead, better things started to happen. The Phils hit two more doubles in the 8th and scored 5 more runs. Pence got an RBI walk with the bases loaded. And Wiggington smashed a bases-clearing double, ending his game with 4 RBI, another small miracle.
This was a very nice win for the Phillies who needed a serious self-esteem boost after losing 2-straight to the Mets.
By the way, if anyone is wondering why every uniform number is 42, it was Jackie Robinson salute day. If you did not notice, feel free to go on with your life as planned… ;o)
But do not plan on getting any sleep this week…the Phils start a West Coast swing tomorrow in San Francisco. Game time is 10:15pm (yikes!).
And here is the Photo Album from today’s game.
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
Four Games, Three Loses and a Whole Bunch of Questions
The start of the 2012 season has not gone well for the Phillies. And that is putting it nicely. Losing 3 out of the first 4 games with the ugliest one coming Monday afternoon at the Home Opener has many people worried about this team.
It could just be a slow start…or it may be a glimpse of the future Phillies. Let us all hope it is just a slow start.
The Phillies offense wasted good pitching performances from Cliff Lee and Vance Worley in back-to-back games against the Pirates. Then yesterday against the Marlins, Cole Hamels was not sharp and basically, the entire team sucked.
Home team fans looking for some home run excitement got it…only from the wrong team. The Marlins took Hamels, Joe Savery and even closer Jonathan Papelbon deep. As for scoring, most of that came from the Marlins as well.
The worst thing I can say about the new Miami Marlins after that performance is that their uniforms are hideous. Take that, you dreaded fish!
The only bright spot in the game was seeing rookie Freddy Galvis finally get a hit. His first major league hit was an RBI-double that knocked in both Shane Victorino and John Mayberry Jr. But that was literally the only offense in the game from the Phillies.
I am stretching to find the positives here so I will add that I approve of Papelbon’s entrance music. His selection was a great mystery until the home opener yesterday. He chose “Man in the Box” by Alice in Chains, which is in my personal top 10 of the greatest rock songs ever. So there, another positive ;o)
But sadly, that is where the fun ends. Just keep telling yourself, it is only 4 games…
Here are ALL my photos from the Home Opener! There are a lot..enjoy!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
The Phillies 2012 Roster is Announced
The Phillies have announced their Opening Day roster, which includes 12 pitchers, two catchers, six infielders and five outfielders:
Pitchers (starters in BOLD): Right-handers Joe Blanton, Roy Halladay, David Herndon, Kyle Kendrick, Jonathan Papelbon, Chad Qualls, Michael Stutes and Vance Worley, and left-handers Antonio Bastardo, Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee and Joe Savery.
Catchers: Carlos Ruiz and Brian Schneider.
Infielders: Freddy Galvis, Pete Orr, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, Jim Thome and Ty Wigginton.
Outfielders: John Mayberry Jr., Laynce Nix, Hunter Pence, Juan Pierre and Shane Victorino.
The only surprise here is probably Joe Savery. The shock is not really that he made the team after a very sold spring, but that he made it to the majors at all after a rollercoaster minor league career. Savery, a former first-round draft pick, looked like his pitching career was over before it started as his ERA ballooned to well over 4.00 in 2008 and went steadily downhill through 2010.
That offseason, Savery was converted to a hitter instead where he initially had amazing success. Then after 9 months of not tossing a pitch, Savery was promoted to AA Reading and AAA Lehigh Valley where they decided he should become a relief pitcher.
No one knows how it happened or why, but suddenly, Savery could pitch again. He finished 2011 in the minors with a 1.50 ERA in 25 games as a reliever. And this spring, Savery pitched well enough to earn a roster spot. The only question now is, how long will this run last once players start coming off the DL? It appears that will up to Savery. Best of luck to him!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
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