Results tagged ‘ Domonic Brown ’
The Disaster Continues as Phillies Drop Series to the O’s
Losing their second straight game to the Orioles, the Phillies leave town today 8 games behind in the NL East and in last place. But today’s loss was special. It sucked more than most.
The Phillies had the bases loaded 3 times with Carlos Ruiz as the batter and scored only 1 run on a wild pitch. When your best player cannot get a hit 3 consecutive times with the bases loaded, you know it is going to be a very bad day.
But worse than that, Cliff Lee still does not have a win, even after 10 starts. Although today, it was actually his own doing. Lee blew a 3 run lead by giving up a 3-run homer in the 4th inning. As a result, Lee’s ERA finally floated above 3.00; he is currently at 3.18.
So not only did the offense and pitching suck, the defense was bad again too. After 9 errors this season, including a big one today, Ty Wigginton should not be playing 3rd base…ever. His huge error in the 10th cost the Phillies the game.
However, with Placido Polanco sidelined with a bad wrist, Wiggy keeps getting the nod. They could put Michael Martinez at 3rd, but then you are stuck with Mike Fontenot at 2nd and his defense has been worse than anyone expected. We are talking little league level here…bad.
The pickings are slim and so therefore are the Phillies chances at recovering from this disaster. It may be too early to give up just yet, but it is a tempting thought. Why not bring up some more Triple-A guys and see who rises to the challenge? I am sure Domonic Brown would agree.
Here is a small piece of good news: Michael Schwimer found his groove in 3 innings of scoreless relief today. Sorry though, that is all I have on the good news side.
Monday is an off-day as the battered Phils fly to Minnesota to take on the Twins for 3-games. Oh wait, that might be good news…the Twins suck about as bad as the Phillies do. See, it is the little things that make us happy. Or, not…
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Bye, Bye Benny
With a plethora of outfielders now in the Phillies system after a few signings, Ben Francisco has been traded Toronto for Minor League relief pitcher Frank Gailey. Gailey, 26, is from Philly and has a record of 23-15 with a 2.45 ERA in 175 appearances in the minors.
Francisco had a promising spring training before the 2011 season, but his hot streak ran cold quickly. While Francisco was not consistent as a starter, the bench role did seem to suit him well. He hit .269 with 4 RBI in 2011 and .289 with 7 RBI in 2010 as a pinch hitter.
But John Mayberry Jr. clearly outplayed him this past season. And with the new additions of Scott Podsednik and Laynce Nix plus Domonic Brown on the roster, the outfield is full.
However, the Phillies seem to have some concerns about Brown’s future and they seem intent on giving him more time in the minors before they bring him up again. Brown should be major league ready by now, but the Phils do not seem convinced.
If this is true, why not trade Brown now while he is still listed as a top prospect? Because if they give him another shot in the bigs and he bombs again, his value will go right out the window. At least now, they could get something in return for him. Just a thought…
In other news, Jimmy Rollins is still in limbo, although rumors are flying that a deal is imminent. J-Roll has not gotten much interest from other teams so resigning him at a descent price may be getting a little easier.
So what has J-Roll been doing while he waits? Apparently, tweeting about “Ryan Braun’s positive drug test“: “I really hope Braunie’s initial test is not upheld. Either way people are gonna judge him. I believe him though.”
Braun was named the NL MVP this year. So this may be the worst timing ever, although many people think the test was an error or some weird medical condition. Whatever the case, we will not have a real answer anytime soon as Braun is appealing the ruling which, if he loses, will end in a 50-game suspension.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Award Season: Which Phillies Made the Grade So Far
Despite an early exit from the playoffs, the Phillies 102 regular season wins and stellar individual performances have earned some players much deserved honors.
Earlier this offseason, Placido Polanco was awarded a Gold Glove for his work at third base. Polly also won the award playing second base for the Tigers in 2007 and 2009. He and Darin Erstad are now the only two players in big league history to win a Gold Glove at multiple positions.
MLB.com also handed out awards on Monday. Ryan Howard was named the club’s Player of the Year, while right-hander Roy Halladay was chosen the team’s Pitcher of the Year. And rookie right-hander Vance Worley was voted the Breakout Player of the Year.
Not to be outdone, the Philadelphia chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America put its two cents in as well. Center-fielder Shane Victorino was the winner of the Mike Schmidt Award for Most Valuable Player and left-hander Cliff Lee received the Steve Carlton Award for Most Valuable pitcher.
The big awards come out next week which will include Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year and the Cy Young award. It is expect that many Phillies will be considered for these top honors, but realistically, none of them will win. Charlie Manuel is overlooked every year in the manager category; Worley will probably lose out to Freddie Freeman. As for the Cy Young, both Halladay and Lee will probably get passed over in favor of Clayton Kershaw who had 21 wins and an almost invisible 2.28 ERA.
Of course, anything can happen. But those are my predictions…how about you? Leave your best guess in the comments and we will see who gets it right.
And if anyone missed it, here is my annual Phillies Photo Tribute slideshow. Enjoy!
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Photos by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Roster in Place, the Phillies Are Ready for the NLDS
Game 1 of the NLDS is scheduled for a 5:07 start tonight. Here is the post-season roster for the Phillies:
- Catchers (2): Carlos Ruiz and Brian Schneider.
- Infielders (6): Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Placido Polanco, Jimmy Rollins, Wilson Valdez and Michael Martinez.
- Outfielders (6): Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, John Mayberry Jr., Ben Francisco and Ross Gload.
- Pitchers (11): Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, Antonio Bastardo, Mike Stutes, Vance Worley, Kyle Kendrick and Joe Blanton.
- Extras: Infielder Pete Orr and Catcher Erik Kratz will travel with the team. RHP Justin De Fratus, LHP Joe Savery and outfielder Domonic Brown will work out in Clearwater, FL and Outfielders John Bowker and Brandon Moss and RHP Michael Schwimer have been sent home.
The only slightly interesting move here is that Blanton was chosen for the roster instead of David Herndon, despite missing most of the season with injuries. The Phillies chose experience over a younger guy, even though Herndon was with the team most of the year.
As for the pitching match-ups in the series, here are the probable starters for the Phillies and Cardinals:
- Game 1: Roy Halladay vs. Kyle Lohse (ex-Phillie)
- Game 2: Cliff Lee vs. Chris Carpenter (on 3 days rest)
- Game 3: Cole Hamels vs. Jaime Garcia
These are some odd moves by Tony LaRussa. It will either turn out to be genius, or a huge mistake. The Phillies should be able to handle Lohse and will then get Carpenter on short rest. That is another situation they can probably take advantage of.
The pitcher the Phils have the most trouble with is Garcia, who was pushed back to Game 3 because his home numbers are much better than his road numbers.
This all seems to add up to a Phillies advantage, however, that remains to be seen. Also of note, Game 2 has been pushed back to 8:37pm (ugh) on Sunday due to the Yankees – Tigers rain postponement.
I also wanted to share with you an article I just read about how Danys Baez has helped Antonio Bastardo out of his recent pitching funk. Baez was released by the Phillies in July and was not picked up by another team. He has been sitting at home in Miami watching and noticed Bastardo, a player he previously mentored, was having problems. He reached out to Bastardo and helped him find the issues in his mechanics.
Bastardo has bounced back since then and it seems that Baez is the reason. The story made me a little sad, thinking about how much criticism Baez took while he was in Philly from fans and media. For him to swallow his pride and reach out to an ex-teammate like that is a sign of true character. He may not have been the bullpen solution the Phillies hoped for, but he gets huge brownie points in my book for just being a great guy.
Hope to see you all at the game tonight! Go Phillies!
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Pence Debuts & Howard Reaches Another Milestone in Win Over Pirates
The Phillies newest, shiny toy arrived at the ballpark today. Right fielder Hunter Pence pumped his fists as he entered the tunnel under the stadium, looking excited to explore his new home.
The excitement is understandable; Pence just got traded from a team with 35 wins to a team with 66 wins and the best record in baseball. The fans shared his exuberance as they cheered him during batting practice and gave Pence a standing ovation when he arrived in right field to start the game against the Pirates. Pence waived to the fans cheerfully in appreciation.
Even his first at-bat was exciting; Pence ran out what should have been an infield hit but was called out by the umpire. The replay showed he was clearly safe as fans watched manager Charlie Manuel argue with the ump in defense of his newest player.
It took Pence until the eighth inning to finally get a hit in the game. Regardless, he had to be relieved with the RBI-single he finally put in the books. Now that his first Phillies hit is on record, it should be business as usual for Pence.
As for Ryan Howard, the business was not so usual, but certainly good. Having Pence in the five-hole behind him had to be a welcome sight. Hitting without any real protection all year, Howard finally has a solid hitter to back him up. Taking full advantage, Howard went just a triple short of the cycle and had three RBI on four hits.
Most notably, Howard’s second hit of the game, an RBI-single in the fourth inning, was his 1,000th career hit. Congratulations to Ryan!
As for the pitching, Cliff Lee started the game hoping he could bounce back from an awful outing on Monday against the Padres. In that game, Lee lasted only four innings after allowing five runs.
Tonight, Lee did well through seven innings where he gave up only two runs. But Lee was left in the game too long and he ran into trouble in the eighth. The hits kept coming for the Pirates and two more runs crossed the plate, bringing the Bucos closer to a comeback with a 6-4 score.
Reliever Antonio Bastardo was brought in with two runners on base and two outs. In his usual form, Bastardo shut down the Pirates by striking out Pedro Alvarez to end the inning.
The run added by Pence in the eighth gave the Phillies a little more cushion with a 7-4 lead. That was plenty for Ryan Madson who closed out the game for another Phillies victory.
Game three with the Pirates is Sunday at 1:35pm; Vance Worley will pitch. In Worley’s last start, he pitched a complete game against the Giants. It will be interesting to see how he responds after tossing 114 pitches in that start.
Check back Sunday night for game photos…see you there!
Roster Move Update:
Domonic Brown and Andrew Carpenter were sent to Triple-A to make room for Pence and Placido Polanco, who came off the DL today. Brown will begin to work at left field, which is where the Phillies project he will be next season.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Hunter Was The Hunted; Now, He Is A Phillie
July 29th has been a significant day in recent Phillies history. On July 29, 2009, the Phillies acquired Cliff Lee. That same day in 2010, they picked up Roy Oswalt. And this year, Hunter Pence is the big prize.
A report from Phillies Beat Writer Todd Zolecki states that Pence will be sent from the Astros to the Phillies in exchange for Class A first baseman Jonathan Singleton, Class A pitcher Jarred Cosart and two yet unnamed prospects.
The best news of the night is that neither pitcher Vance Worley or outfielder Domonic Brown were included in the deal. While the two named prospects are highly touted, the Phillies really pulled off an amazing deal without having to give up any major league talent. This is another huge score for Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr.
Pence, 28, is a lifetime .290 hitter and 2-time All-Star who combines both power and speed. Pence hit 25 home runs each year from 2008-2010 and had a career high 91 RBI’s last season. In addition, Pence cannot become a free agent until the 2014 season, putting the Phillies in control for years to come.
With the addition of Pence and also Placido Polanco returning from the DL this weekend, two moves will have to be made. My best guess is that Brown will be sent back to Triple-A to work on his game. The second casualty could be John Mayberry Jr.
While the playoffs and the World Series are promised to no one, the addition of Pence certainly does improve the Phillies’ chances.
And in case you missed it amidst all the excitement, there was actually a game tonight. The Phillies beat the Pirates by a score of 10-3 with Roy Halladay pitching seven one-hit innings. Andrew Carpenter allowed three runs in the eighth.
The offensive highlights included Chase Utley coming up just a double short of hitting for the cycle. His 3-run homer in the second inning put the Phillies far ahead very early.
Shane Victorino also came close to hitting for the cycle, but missed out on the home run. Jimmy Rollins smacked a 2-run homer in the seventh, but sadly for Victorino, he was not allowed to share the homer and help out his buddy Shane.
Oddly enough, Rollins hit that home run off pitcher Jason Grilli, who until a week ago was in the Phillies minor league system. The Pirates picked him up after the Phillies released him on July 20, 2011.
This is now set up to be a very exciting weekend for the Phillies. When Pence will be in the line-up probably depends on how soon he can get here from Houston. Add Polanco back into the line-up and the Phillies are set up nicely for a strong run to the playoffs.
Game two with the Pirates is Saturday night at 7:05pm; Cliff Lee will pitch.
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Photo by http://blogs.houstonpress.com/
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Come From Behind Win After Slow Start For Phillies Offense
The Cubs pitcher, Matt Garza, had a no-hitter going against the Phillies into the 5th inning tonight. The only Phillie to get a hit through two outs in the 7th inning was Domonic Brown, who hit Garza twice with a double and a single.
In all, Garza only allowed four hits and one run, with the help of his bullpen who allowed the run to score after he was pulled. It was yet another disgusting, impatient and painful performance from the Phils offense.
In the meantime, Cliff Lee had a rough start to the game, allowing a 2-run homer in the first. But after the first few innings, Lee settled down and was his usual, amazing self. But for the second straight Lee start in a row, his biggest problem was the Phillies offense.
In two starts, all Phillies players combined, except for Lee, did not score a single run while Lee was on the mound. The only run in the last game was a home run, which Lee hit himself.
Only after Lee was pulled for a pinch hitter and Michael Stutes pitched the 7th, did the offense decide to score. In the 8th, Jimmy Rollins and Michael Martinez singled, then Chase Utley drove them in with a double. Utley later got thrown out at the plate and the game was left in a 2-2 tie.
This anemic offense is frustrating to watch, especially when you know the potential of the hitters who are simply not living up to expectations. With that in mind, here is a short list of annoying things that I would rather be doing instead of watching the Phillies offense suck:
- Play the movie “The Sound of Music” over and over and over.
- Ride the “It’s a Small World” ride at Disney World with the demonic puppets that sing like nails going down a chalk board.
- Clean the litter box.
- Watch Jose Reyes of the Mets do the home run trot while signaling “#1″ with his finger.
- Eat peas.
- Spel thungs rong on porpuse.
That last one was painful, much like watching the Phillies offense.
Back to the game…Stutes wound up pitching both the 7th and 8th innings and kept the score tied. But while the pitching hung in there, what would the offense do?
Lucky for me, they finally decided to stop sucking, thereby saving me from having to perform one of the annoying tasks on my list.
With two outs in the 9th, Ben Francisco and Rollins hit back-to-back singles. And then, saving the day once again, Martinez doubled to score both runners for a 4-2 lead. And although he was thrown out going to third, Martinez is still the hero.
Antonio Bastardo served as the closer again, as the Phillies are still taking it slow with Ryan Madson since coming off the DL. And again, Bastardo was lights-out for his 7th save of the year.
With the win today, the Phillies have a chance to win the series now. Game three with the Cubs is Wednesday afternoon at 2:20pm; Vance Worley will pitch.
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Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
No Sweep As Phils Stumble Against the Fish
On Tuesday night, the Phillies pounded the Marlins to the tune of 14 runs, their highest run total for a single game this year. The Phils played solid baseball while winning the first two games of this series. But tonight was a different story.
Sloppy play and mental mistakes highlighted Wednesday night’s game. Chase Utley got caught in a run down after wandering too far off first base after getting a hit in the first. John Mayberry Jr. dropped a ball in center that hit the webbing of his glove. Domonic Brown let an easy ball bounce right past him in left, allowing two runs to score in the third. And Michael Stutes made a throwing error on a pick-off attempt in the eighth.
In the midst of all the errors, Brown was called out after a triple; the umpire says he did not touch the base. In the replay, it looks like the umpire, who did not get in proper position to make such a call, screwed up. Frankly, if the ump is too lazy to get into position, he has no business making these calls.
There were still a few highlights. Mayberry had his first multi-home run game of his career with two homers and three RBI on the night. Jimmy Rollins hit a homer as well and has six hits in the last two games.
But the pitching tonight was not great. Even with six runs scored, the Phils could not hang onto the lead. Kyle Kendrick gave up three runs in five innings; David Herndon allowed two runs in 2/3 of an inning. Then Andrew Carpenter collected a blown save in the seventh, allowing the Fish to tie the game, 6-6. And the final blow came from Danys Baez who allowed a game winning homer in the 10th to Mike Stanton.
The Phillies have Thursday off to get their heads back on straight before facing the Braves on Friday. That will be a huge series as the Braves are right on the Phillies heels for first place in the NL East.
Neither Shane Victorino or Placido Polanco are available to play right now either, which complicates the situation. Victorino has a mild thumb sprain and Polanco is going to see a back specialist. More on that later…good night, all!
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
Phillies Offense Sleeping with the Fish; Young Pitching Bails Them Out
The Phillies started a 3-game series tonight with the Fish and both offenses seemed to be floundering. If you had decided to take a nap and did not wake up until the seventh inning, you would have missed practically nothing.
Vance Worley started for the Phillies and was very sharp. He pitched seven innings total, allowing only two hits, two walks and no runs.
But while Worley held his own, the Phillies offense could not seem to manage any action. Domonic Brown was the only hitter with a big night that included two hits and he scored the Phillies’ only run on a Michael Martinez single in the seventh.
As for the scoring, that was it. Worley had a chance to move runners on first and second over with a bunt in the seventh, but he struck out. Worley seriously needs to work on his bunting.
So the bullpen took over after that. Michael Stutes was fantastic as usual, pitching a scoreless, hitless eighth. And then Antonio Bastardo saved the game, winning by a score of just 1-0. It was a combined 2-hitter for three rookies / young players in Worley, Stutes and Bastardo. The fountain of youth takes one for the team…nice.
Game two with the Marlins kicks off tomorrow night at 7:10pm.
By the way, Happy Fourth of July everyone! Enjoy your evening :O)
Photo by Jenn Zambri Photography
*Read more about the Phillies at my other home page, Phightin’ Phils Phorum in the MTR Media network*
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